Welcome to a Hippie-Dippie Friday

Not only is today the very last Friday in July, it is also the very last day of the month. Just were did the time go? I swear, the older we get, the more quickly time slips through our fingers.

The reality of time isn’t that as old folks we feel it move faster, but that as young people we think time; our time will never end. The older we get, the more we realize just how few days remain ahead of us. I cannot help but to wonder – had I know at sixteen how to cherish the time given to me, would I have wasted even a moment on the silly things that I did?

By the time I was a teenager (all of 13); there was this deep burning desire to expand my world in what I now realize were very dangerous ways. I know I have the good Lord, and His angels to thank that I have lived this long. I ran away from home, or so the authorities said, when I was a restless teen. I tried to tell my parents that it wasn’t home I was running from, but rather something “out there” that I was running to. Home was great – it was the big, beautiful world out there somewhere that was calling. My first adventure on the road was in the summer of 1968, an unforgetable week living on a beach in Big Sur. The whole world seemed to be in motion back then, looking for answers to questions that were so big, we dared not ask aloud.

I remember once, at the height of my Hippie-Flower-Child-Jesus-Freak existence my mother asking me if I had any regrets in life, or if would have made different choices. At that point I had bummed around San Francisco, been arrested numerous times for attempting to “stop the war train” as it rumbled through Berkley, and even helped to smuggle food to the Indians occupying Alcatraz. My answer was no. Even with all I know today, my answer would be the same. Those experiences helped to form my social conscience. They led me to who I am today. My only regret, I told her, was that she had been hurt in the process. We should always regret hurting others and seek their forgiveness. I just don’t think we can regret those choices in life that leads to the discovery of our true purpose. Choices bring experience and in those experiences are lessons. Without them, I might not be where I am today. I am happy, at peace with myself, filled with a deep love for Christ. How can there be regrets?

Biscuit Alfredo Tuna Casserole
4 cups Wide Egg Noodles
3 (5 oz) cans Albacore Tuna in Water
1 cup frozen Peas and Carrots
1 (24 oz) jar Garlic Alfredo Sauce
1/2 cup Milk
2 tablespoons Butter
1 (8 count) tube Southern Style Biscuits

Heat oven to 350-degrees.

While the oven warms; bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta, cook just until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain well.

Drain tuna, flake meat. Rinse peas & carrots under cold water to thaw, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, toss tuna with peas and carrots. Add Alfredo Sauce, coat well. Add pasta, pull pasta through sauce and blend well. Add milk, drizzle with melted butter. Spread mixture out in a casserole dish and set aside.

Open can of biscuits. Arrange biscuits on top of the casserole. Place in the oven, bake until bread is nicely browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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The word of the Lord remains forever;
this is the word that has been proclaimed to you.