Sometimes we wax poetic and sentimental about the “miracle of birth”. Miracle yes.
Birth is also bloody, messy, painful and dangerous.
Birth usually ends in tears. Hopefully tears of joy, but too often tears of mourning.
Not every woman or infant survives birth.
Every day, approximately 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Just under six out of every 1,000 babies died at birth or in the first year of life in the U.S. in 2013, triple the rate of Japan or Norway and double the rate of Ireland, Israel or Italy.
Birth is inherently dangerous...
but most deaths of women and infants in childbirth in the world can be prevented.
Instant of sentimental words about the babies and birth, we could work and give toward preventing those deaths. So that more births would end in tears of joy.
So every year there's an Advent & Lent Photo a Day Challenge.
And I'm always gun-ho every year. And I never make it all the way through.
But I am an optimist.
And I believe in Grace. And second chances.
So I'm trying it again.
I am going to do the SlateProject AdventUs AND I'm going to commit to writing a reflection to go with my photo.
Maybe this will be the year I stick to it.
This is a cinnamon intensive cookie.
Penzeys sells a Vietnamese cinnamon that is rich and delicious. I use that.
- 1 stick real butter
- 1 cup butter flavored Crisco
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5-6 oz. cinnamon chips
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1 1/2 Cup flour
- 4 cups oats
- 1 tsp bourbon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Cream sugar with butter and Crisco. Add vanilla and bourbon, cinnamon and cloves and mix well. Add eggs, salt and soda and mix well. Add flour and mix. Add oats and mix. Then add the chips.
Drop by spoonful on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for about 13 minutes.
Put them on cooling rack as soon as you take them out of the oven to prevent bottom from burning.
