Mary and Hot water cornbread!

What a week! By the way, what the heck happened to October? It seems like just a few days ago I was burning up and school had just stated. Now, the first frost has come through and the squirrels come knocking on the back door when I forget to feed the birds.


I have a new Spiritual Director named Mike. Met him on Friday and I still had to go to Fort Smith! This time however, Preacher man had the day off and he went with me. That allowed us the opportunity come come home on "The Pig Trail"! For those of you who are not familiar with this trail, it is old Highway 71, which use to be the only way to get up in this corner of the state. They found an old pig trail, poured asphalt on it and called it Highway 71. Ever seen how a pig makes a trail? In the mountains? This is a motorcycler's dream road! Colorado can top it, but how often can you ride in the mountains without snow! 

So we came into Fayetteville on the south side and passed by a place called "Mama Dean's Soul Food". I screamed out to Preacher man "SOUL FOOD!" He did a U-ey, and we headed back to the spot. Now, I feel like we know Mama Dean because she came and sat down with us at our table and carried on a 45 minute conversation. She is 1 of 16 kids that was raised on a farm in Hope Arkansas. We ate fried chicken, greens, purple hull peas, okra and hot water cornbread! Have you ever had hot water cornbread? I remember watching Grannie making it when I was little! The best part was eating it and I gotta say, my Grannie and my Mama never did make enough of it to make me happy! All that's in hot water cornbread is corn meal, salt and hot water! Fry it up and goggle it down! Grannie always made hers round and flat, like a prefect patty. Mama's are shaped like a serving spoon and Mama Dean's look like the palm of her boys hand that was making em. I think you could take bread away from me and I could live on hot water cornbread! 


Did my heart good to find a place like that up here in Wal-Mart land! You can find Thai food and steaks, sea food and Sonic, but look for a good home cookin spot and you gotta get out of this county! 

Wanted to share one other thing with you before I say good bye for the day. I go to St Vincent de Paul for my Retreat in Daily Life classes and when I was walking into the church this past week I saw this picture of Mary that I put at the top of the page. Do you see what it says under it? "Haiti" As I walked closer, I started to think my contact was messing up cuz it started to look strange. By the time I got up next to it this is what I saw! All these pictures of people from Haiti. They have been over there I don't know how many times, but someone made this picture of Mary out of them and it blew me away! Now that's a mission field!