“Sweetie,” I said, “there’s this great little restaurant here in Cedar City where we can have lunch in the garden, and they serve everything on silver platters of pewter dinnerware. It keeps all the food and drinks chilled. I'm sure you will love it. Want to try it? My husband John responded with a resounding “Yes,” so we were off for our lunch adventure. I worked for ITT College as a high school coordinator and taught in the high schools there some time ago when I stumbled upon this treasure of a restaurant. It was summer now, and we were traveling on vacation by that city again when I remembered the warm ambiance and delightful food from the restaurant there.
Little did I know that lunch date that day would mark the beginning of a curve in the path of my life to lead me in a direction that would serve as my “Life’s Mission.”
John pulled over, and we both hopped out of the car. They seated us at the perfect spot in the garden, just as I had hoped. Just as we were anticipating the incredible gourmet food we had just ordered, I noticed a pamphlet on the windowsill next to our table. Curious, I picked it up. It was an advertisement for the Shakespearean festival, which sounded fun, but what really caught my eye were the words at the top of the brochure, which read in big bold letters: “Find Your Passion.”
I am an entrepreneur and have created several businesses and product lines before, so I instinctively wanted to answer the following question: What is my passion now? I would have to ponder that question. I tucked the pamphlet in my purse, and with that, we clinked our cups and began to eat the amazing food to our hearts' content.
A few months later, after returning from a few weeks in Hawaii, I found myself creatively designing gourmet cookies. My version of what I titled the “Tropical Island Cookie” began as a cascade of ideas for cookies of all kinds. I personally then created 150 different flavors after that first inspirational cookie. What was I supposed to do with all of these? I wondered. So, I started selling them to my neighbors. Then, I started selling them to local businesses, and they started ordering them every month. Then, three restaurants featured my cookies. One was Hawaiian, another was Mediterranean, and the third was Italian.
Then, I finally introduced the cookies paired with gelato ice cream flavors as a gourmet cookie sandwich idea. Two mass grocery store chain buyers immediately said, "yes," if I could get mass production. Instantly, I went to work on that prospect and packaging designs. I found a company that could produce 70,000 cookies daily, and they agreed. I was moving forward with this business.
While working on that aspect, I needed to inquire of the Lord and was directed to ask in prayer which of my goals was right. I had about 9 -12 goals and inventions I was considering at that time besides the cookie adventure. So one day, while kneeling in prayer, I heard (spoken by a still small voice to my soul), “Open your eyes.” I didn’t expect that, but I followed the counsel. Immediately, I saw a perfume sample container on the floor by the couch where I was kneeling. I stopped my prayer, picked it up, and noticed the perfume's name was “Miracle.” I was astonished and looked at the list I had just brought to my prayer, which had all my possible goals. The 6th goal on the list read, “Miracles and Meals the cookbook.” Immediately, I raised my hand above my head, waved, and said, “ I got the message! I’ll do the book.”
From that time on, I used all of my creative energies to write and collect true miracle stories and create food recipes to match the stories. Our children were adopted, and my daughter has an amazing miracle story about how the round rainbow showed up several times in our journey of adoption for her. With that story, I created the “Round Rainbow Cookie.” When it is published, you will find the full story and recipe in the Miracles and Meals cookbook.
In 2012, I created 16 Miracles and Meals books that have yet to be published. The 3rd book will be titled “Miracles and Meals for Widows and Those Who Have Lost a Loved One and How You Feel They Are Still Close.” I was wonderfully married and living a nice life and thought perhaps I would interview those who had experienced grief and loss at the widow/widower conference.
To know deep grief is also to know deep love…
