The Propper Way to Eat A Peppermint Pattie

Disclaimer:  

I think any and all people everywhere should eat healthy, non processed foods.  However, I love Peppermint Patties.  Yes, the first and second ingredients listed are sugar and corn syrup, I know this and it makes me very, very sad........ but every once in a while...  

Work with me, girls, work with me...I'm working very hard at justifying this whole thing.  ;)

I find it disturbing...

to watch my husband and my son eat a Peppermint Pattie...or any chocolate for that matter.  They shove it, or as much of it as they can, into their mouths and swallow it down without a thought!  And then they have the audacity to claim that it was good!!

Now, I ask you: {and them} how could you have possibly even tasted it that way?!?  Seriously!  There's an art to these things.  You have to take time to savor...

So, without further ado, I'm going to teach you all how to properly savor a Peppermint Pattie. 

If, and when eaten correctly, one peppermint patty should last you at least two days.  {We're talking the full size ones here.}  Maybe it's because they make me feel so gross when I eat too much at a time, but mine usually last about three days.  {As I said, I don't eat them as often as I used to.}

TIMING:  Timing really is everything when it comes to eating a peppermint pattie.  For instance you don't want to be savoring a bit of Peppermint Pattie around children because even though they may not ask, they have ways of letting you know they want some and I always feel so mean when I have to say no.  But, you know, a girl has to do what a girl has to do!  "Just say no" is a great motto.

You also don't want to be standing in the kitchen getting ready to take a nibble and your husband walk past, grab it and plop the entire thing in his own mouth!!  And what's worse than him stealing my precious Peppermint Pattie was that he didn't even take the time to enjoy it!! Just downed it all in one big gulp!!  :( 

Are you feeling my pain yet??

Step #1 ~ View the Peppermint Pattie  Isn't it lovely??   

{This step is very nearly always omitted by the men in my family}

Step #2 ~ Take the first nibble out of the edge...notice I said "nibble", not "huge chomp"!! 

 Just sayin'...

Step #3 ~ Take little nibbles out of the edges until the outside of the treasured Peppermint Pattie is completely white.  It usually takes me about a day to finish the edges off.  At this point, I put it away for a while, or until the next day when I feel the urge for more. 

This {above} is how your Peppermint Pattie will look when you're finished with Step #3.

Step #4 ~ Continue nibbling around the edges.  It make take you several "rounds", and even several days, but continue on until your Peppermint Pattie is quite small...like so.

At this point, you may continue nibbling until it's gone {which is my preferred method},  or, you may put the entire thing in your mouth and let it melt.  It's a great way to pass time while washing dishes or folding laundry.   I always try to see how many items of clothing I can fold or how much work I can accomplish before the minty goodness melts away.

Now that you all know how to properly eat a Peppermint Pattie, you may leave comments telling me how glad you are that I spent time researching this topic.  And, let me assure you: I did have fun with the research put into this post!!

Now, it's your turn to tell us all about your favorite "guilty pleasures". 

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Preservative Free Breakfast

I was asked to do a post on preservative free breakfast foods.  I will admit, I'm not a breakfast person.  If we eat breakfast it's usually for lunch {an egg sandwich or a bowl of oatmeal} or dinner {eggs with potatoes & onions and bacon}.   But I did some thinking and some research and here's what I came up with....

Keeping Breakfast as Natural as Possible!!

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Milk:  Just about everyone has milk with their breakfast.  It's a great thing to drink, especially for growing children.  The best milk to drink is fresh, raw milk that has come straight from grass fed cows to your breakfast table.  The milk you buy in grocery stores has been pasteurized, which simply means it has been heated to high temperatures that are supposed to kill germs and bacteria.  The problem with this is that they not only kill germs and bad bacteria, they also kill good bacteria and nutrients.  You can read more of the benefits of organic raw milk over at The Healthy Home Economist.  {Love that site!!}

Juice:  All juice should be completely natural without any added sugars of any kind - especially fake sugars such as aspartame. 

Toast and Jam:  I've been praying for a wheat grinder for a couple of years now.  Until I get one though, I am careful to get only bread that is "whole wheat" - stone ground is best and without any corn syrup or added flavorings and/or colorings.  **I also plan to make all kinds of fun things, like pancakes, waffles and muffins when I get my grinder.  Until then, you can buy whole wheat flour and mixes - just be sure the mix you're buying doesn't have any additional ingredients that you wouldn't add yourself.** 

As for jam, I make my own.  It's not hard, and can be quite fun!  So far this year we've made strawberry, peach, and a blueberry/blackberry mix.  Making it home saves you time and money and it's much healthier because it doesn't have any added ingredients!!  Making your jams with raw honey will only increase the health benefits {did you know honey is good for allergies of all kinds?} and it shouldn't affect the taste at all.

Eggs:  Organic, free range eggs are the best!!  In taste and in health they are absolutely the best!  Once you've eaten a free range egg you won't want to eat any other!  They are fantastic!  Like raw milk, they do cost a bit more at the store, so if you can skip the store and go straight to the farmer you will be able to save yourself a few dollars.  I get my eggs for $2.00 a dozen.  ~ Better still, raise your own chickens and trade your leftover eggs for raw milk or raw honey.  {Raising chickens is a dream of mine!  Maybe one day....}

Oats:  Oatmeal is quick and easy and very good for you.   It's also easy on the grocery budget, which is a big plus!  Be sure your oats are natural and without any added ingredients.  You can flavor them with homemade butter and sea salt, jam, raw fruit, honey, or peanut butter!  Yep!  Peanut butter oatmeal is one of our favorites!!

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Breakfast meat:  Sausage and bacon, and sometimes ham are all considered "breakfast food".  To be sure you're eating the best quality, you should go to your local farmer.  Check around for good deals, but be sure your meat was not raised on corn, or with any hormones.  If you are going to buy your breakfast meat in the store, try to avoid any added nitrates if possible.  I try to always get the Hormel, Natural Choice brand.  It doesn't have any preservatives, or artificial ingredients and they claim that their product is "minimally processed".

Cereal:  We buy Mom's Best Naturals brand in the organic section at Kroger.  Actually, it's not organic, but it is whole grain, and it doesn't have any artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.  They also don't have any hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup.  AND...I like to stock up on it when they're on sale for $2.00 a box.  That's cheaper than any other cereal brands I know of!

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Fruit & Yogurt:  This really shouldn't need much explanation.  Fruit is good for you and so is yogurt.  We love all kinds of fruit and our favorite kinds of yogurt is YoBaby from Stonyfield.  It's organic and natural and filled with probiotics and healthy fats for brain development and cell growth.  I buy as much as I can of this when it's marked down and throw it in the freezer.  Works for us!  My kids love yogurt and we don't have a cow or goats, so this is the best I can do at the moment.  :)

When buying yogurt, be careful of all the added ingredients.  Avoid any and all yogurts {or foods for that matter} that claim to be "lite, fat free, or sugar free".  While this may sound good to the average consumer, it is not healthy.  Contrary to popular belief, some fats are good for you, such as the fat in fresh, raw milk.

The term, "sugar free", usually means that it's sweetened with artificial sweeteners that are more dangerous than sugar.  Our bodies know what to do with sugar.  They have no idea how to process those man made chemicals we like to call "sweeteners".  Because our bodies can't break them down and eliminate them properly, they {our bodies} tend to store them {artificial sweeteners}.  Which is why so many people have a problem losing weight. Also be ware of those special yogurts made for children, as most of them have added food colorings and other artificial flavorings.  Let's be sure the food we're eating is natural and not artificial.  I can't figure out for the life of me why anyone would want to eat artificial food anyway???

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They Cry for Tolerance, Yet There is None!

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As an American AND a Christian, I strongly believe that every man and woman has the right to believe what they want to believe.  That belief didn't start with our Founding Fathers.  It started in the Bible.  Jesus never forced Himself on anyone.  He did say that He was the Way and there was no other.  But He never forced anyone to believe Him, or to be saved.

I'm a Libertarian.  As a libertarian, I believe that everyone has the right to do, say, write, and be whatever they want to.  You can live by your own creed - mine just happens to be the Bible!  The role of government is to protect the people.  So, if you are doing something that's harmful to another person, you should be stopped.

Abortion is harmful to PEOPLE.  

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Babies are people and abortion KILLS PEOPLE.  Abortion also has physical, devastating, and life changing effects on the mother.  I am against abortion.  PERIOD.  I don't argue with people about it, but I don't feel any person has the right to end the life of another for any reason.

Were you raped?  You can accept the child as a blessing that came from tragedy, or you can chose to place the child in a home that will love him/her.  Is there a chance that the baby or the mother may die in the process of pregnancy and/or birth?  Let God decide what happens.  Trust Him.  He knows what is going on.  He knew and allowed you to become pregnant.  Maybe He will use you and your experience - whatever the outcome - to bring souls to Him.   It may be that they see HIM through You and your Faith in Him.  He is able to work it all out, save you, save the baby, get the glory and in due time others may be reached with the Gospel!! 

Everyone is crying for "tolerance".

I looked up the definition of the word, "tolerance".  According to dictionary.com the term, "tolerance" means, a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.

Ahhh, that lovely word, "bigotry"....  Last night I posts a status on my facebook page about Chick-Fil-A.  I didn't think it was going to be a big deal.  This is after all, supposed to be a CHRISTIAN site!  My status said something about the fact that we don't have a Chick-Fil-A in our area, but from what I had heard, this whole "scandal" had not hurt them any.  I didn't think there was anything offensive in that.  I was simply referring to the fact that so many people are out there were standing WITH Chick-Fil-A for whatever reason.   Perhaps some are just sick of the fact that we are slowly losing our freedoms!!  {Not so slowly, really!}  

I actually had to delete that status because I had ladies arguing with me, calling me hateful for that status...hateful because I mentioned that Christian restaurant chain  didn't lose any business over their Christian beliefs???  I even had a lady drop a pretty big "naughty word" right there on my page and then get angry with me when I deleted it!  I let her say her say even though I deleted that one comment and she still thought I was being a "hater".  

Why is that when Starbucks comes out with a declaration of supporting "alternate life styles" and I decide NOT to go there, I get bashed??  I never once went to their page and called them names.  I could have.  I never once said anything hateful about them at all, even though I could have done that as well.  I simply shared the link with the information explaining WHY I had chosen not to re-visit their store.  {this was on my personal fb page}  I was amazed at the people, CHRISTIAN people - FRIENDS - that were opposed to me stating my own opinion on my own wall.  

Was I shocked at some of them?  Yes.  Was I mad at them for offering an opposing view point?  NO!!  Did I get defensive and try to prove why they should be of the same opinion I am?  NO!  I gave the information.  I explained my thoughts and feelings.  I made my decision and I stuck with it.  I am free to do this and so are you - free to agree - free to disagree.  {Opposed to my opinion is fine.  Opposed to me voicing my opinion is NOT!}

So, Why Then... 

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do so many people get all defensive when others of us say we are still going to frequent a restaurant who's owner has Christian view points?  So he gave his money to a few causes that some don't agree with.  News Flash:  that's his right!!  Once you have given someone money it becomes theirs to do with as they see fit.  If you don't like what he's doing with your money; don't give it to him.  End of story.  That would settle it.  

But there are SO many people that have been all worked up over it.  They call names, and yell and scream.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can go to Chick-Fil-A's fb page.  {I'm not even going to link over there because I'm so over this whole thing!!}   For more information on Cathey's interview you can go here.

This post is not about Chick-Fil-A.  It's about "tolerance".   They're all saying that Christians are "haters".  Biggot, crazy church lady, and zealot were all terms to used to describe me last night when I gave my view point and the reason for it.  I didn't call anyone any names as I could have done.  I didn't ban any one or delete any comments - except for the one comment with the offensive language.  I didn't say or do anything that could have hurt anyone.  

And, don't give me that, "it could hurt someone's feelings" argument.  It's a tough world out there, people, if that little status hurt someone's feelings, we've got issues!!  {And, I'm pretty sure we do!}  

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What about my feelings?  Where's the tolerance for those of us that feel these things are wrong?  Where's the tolerance for Christian ideas and view points?  What about the fact that this is MY page?  MY site?  Am I not allowed to have my own opinion on my own site anymore?  I should be allowed to say that the sky is orange and green with blue and purple polka-dots on my own site.  I should be allowed to believe whatever I want. 

The problem is not that we hurt feelings with our Christian beliefs.  The problem is that Scripture is convicting.  No one wants to be told they're living in sin.  No one wants to be wrong.  I know I don't.  I don't enjoy going to church and hearing the preaching and feeling the conviction that the Holy Spirit brings...  I don't like it.  It's not comfortable.  But it is necessary.  It is GOOD, even.  

As far as tolerance goes, it's been Christians that were tolerant throughout History.  The American belief that all men should be free to believe the way they chose was NOT new with our founding fathers.  It is a Christian belief that came over with our fore-fathers on the Mayflower and was handed down to them by theirs.  They were looking for a place where they could be free to worship as they chose.  At the same time they didn't force others to believe because their way because they felt EVERYONE should be free to believe in God - or not to.  

Tolerance is a good thing.  It's a Bible thing - not that God will tolerate our sin.  He will not.  But that we should allow others to believe the way they want without being ugly to them.  I believe we should live out and preach the Bible.  We are not commanded to force our convictions and our beliefs on others.  We are commanded to share the Bible and the Gospel with them.   The problem with this is that Scripture is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.  It really does cut and hurt.  It really does "step on our toes".  You are free to preach your own beliefs.  But you are not, or should not, be free to stop me and my 'preaching'...even though I don't believe woman should be preachers....  Ooops, just opened another can of worms!! 

TOLERANCE, people, I need a bit here too....  :D  

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Healthy Kid-Friendly Foods

We all have the best intentions!  We intend to feed our families only the healthiest, most nutritious foods possible, but then life happens.  We run out of time, or in some cases, clean dishes.  We forget about that appointment that was scheduled for 1:30 this afternoon, so we grab some kind of junk food on the way out the door.  Or, worse yet, we grab fast food on the way to the appointmet.  We tell ourselves and the children that this won't happen again for a very long time...like 2 whole days....but we feel better about it because...you know....

Here are some fun, super easy meals to fix for your children when you're running short on time:

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Eggs!  You can do so much with them and they are SOO good for you.  There's nothing better than fresh, free range, eggs!  {I'm soo going to have a few chickens of my own some day...!!!}  Until then, I get eggs from a friend for $2.00 a dozen.  You can boil them and have them ready...just in case.  Ever had a sunny-side-up egg on a baked potato or a fried egg on a hamburger??  For a hurry up and grab it mean, you can make egg burritos and flash freeze them for later.  

Peanut Butter and Honey Wraps!  Smear some all natural peanut butter on a tortilla, drizzle some honey and roll it up.  If you're feeling SUPER domesticated, you can grab a banana and roll it in the center!  My kids love it!

Fresh Veggies with Ranch!  I cut, clean and store them in certain locations in the fridge.  When a child is hungry, or we need lunch in a hurry, we grab the veggies and the ranch and there you have it.... 

Celery {or sliced apples} with peanut butter and raisins!  This makes a great snack or lunch.  And, you happen to have a child that chokes on celery, as does one of mine, you can replace the celery with sliced apple wedges!  So simple!  And so quick!

Avocado Dip!   It's fun, filling, fast and healthy!!  You can't go wrong!  You can eat it with tortilla chips, whole wheat crackers, or veggies.

Chicken Quesadillas!!  YuM!!  We love them.  So simple and quick! You can eat them with sour cream and salsa, or you can grab them when you need a quick on-the-go meal. 

Tuna Salad!  Can be eaten as a salad, on bread, pita wraps, wheat crackers, or tortilla shells!  So many options and very healthy!  Keep some on hand in the fridge and you can make a quick, healthy sandwich in no time!

Homemade Pizzas or Pizza pockets!  Whole wheat crust, homemade sauce, cheese and veggies.  Freeze a few a head of time and grab them when you need them! 

 
Whole Wheat Banana Bread Sandwiches.  Slice the bread and put a thin layer of cream cheese in the center!  Great for breakfast or snacks.  You can freeze these and take them along with you.  We actually like them better half frozen.  So much better for you than giving into the McDonald's temptation!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches!   Peanut butter, homemade jam or raw honey, and whole wheat bread is a great way to go.  Kids love it because it's sweet.  Mom loves it because it's healthy and everyone loves that it fills them up so quickly.

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Freezing Corn

I tried planting a late batch of corn this year, but it's been so hot and dry that only a grand total of THREE stalks have made an appearance.  Rather than worrying about it all, I went and bought some organic sweet corn from a local farmer.  {Thankful for good friends who find and share good deals with me!!}  $15 is not a bad deal for a bushel of local sweet corn!  I'd say it's pretty thrifty!  Who says eating healthy is expensive??

I bought 2 1/2 bushels of corn and came out with about 40 quarts of frozen corn {plus some caned corn}. ~ Not too bad!!

Directions:

A corn husking party!!  The first step is husking the corn, which is why we have children!!  Hand them the bags or boxes of corn and tell them they can play in the sprinkler or pool when the job is done - and done RIGHT - and you'll be surprised at how quickly that corn gets husked!!  Oh, and you might want to do it all outside...not a fan of silks all over the kitchen.

Blanching the corn:  Clean the corn and put it in boiling water for about 7 - 10 minutes. Cooking at high temperatures kills bacteria.  Remove corn from boiling water and put in a big bucket of ice water to stop the cooking quickly.  Be sure you use plenty of ice to keep the water cold and bring down the temperature of the corn as quickly as possible.

Freezing the corn:  At this point you can freeze the corn on the cob, which is the easiest way to do it.  All you do is put the cold, cooked ears of corn in your freezer container - I used gallon sized zip lock bags - remove the air and seal the containers.

~ Frozen corn on the cob ~

I try to put 6 ears in one bag since that's what it would take to feed my family.

Or, you can cut the corn off the cob.  My husband prefers it this way because it doesn't get stuck in his teeth.  :)   I believe they actually make corn cutters that will help you cut the kernels of corn off the cob in even pieces, but since I don't have one of those, I use my electric knife.  Sorry, no pictures of this step because my hands were corny {kinda like my jokes} and I really didn't think about it. 

Once the kernels are cut off the cob, we scoop them up and put them in quart sized zip lock bags according to how much we would use per meal.

We make a few bags with less for things like soup or chicken pot pie.  Be sure you put only what you plan on using for one meal per bag.  You want to use it all once you've thawed it out.  Below are some of the smaller bags for meals that don't require as much.

Spread bags of corn out flat on shelves to freeze.  Don't stack them on top of each other before they're frozen.  This way you can be sure they all freeze quickly and thoroughly.  Once they are frozen, you can stack them neatly in the freezer to save space.  {Mine will be moved to the big, deep freezer as soon as I get it cleaned out and organized.}  Don't forget to date the bags so you can keep up with how old it is! 

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Preservative Free Me

I was talking to a friend from Bible College recently about starting the "Preservative Free Journey".  We were talking about how expensive it can be - especially when you're living on a limited income. And, believe it or not, living without preservatives can actually be less expensive than not.....

Here are 10 things that helped me as I started my quest for a preservative free life style:

 

First ~ stop buying sodas, and fake juices that are only partly juice and partly sugar, and other preservatives.  This will save you tons of money and it will save your health!! 

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Cereal ~  The "organic section" at Kroger/Fry's is a great place to start!  You can get the "Mom's BEST Naturals" brand for $2.00 a box!!  That's cheaper than the sugary brands.  They use natural sweeteners, and they do NOT use: artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.  They also don't use hydrogenated oil, or high fructose corn syrup.  They do use whole grains, however, they are not organic.

Cheese-Its!!  {and other crackers and chips} ~ You can find more natural brands in the Kroger/Fry's "organic section" as well!  And if these are still too expensive for you - good ole' Aldi has chips without MSG and other preservatives in them too!  Can't beat that!

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Mac & Cheese ~  My kids love Annie's Organic's brand, so  I always stock up when they are $1.00 a box.  Still more expensive than Kraft, but no artificial anything!   And, they have options for you -LOTS of options! 

Make your own spice blends!!  Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of those spice packets?  Before it was nothing for me to grab a few of those taco seasoning mixes.  They were cheap and easy and I had no idea that they were packing more than spices!!

Hamburger Helper ~ Make your own using "Annie's Mac & Cheese, your own spice blends, a few veggies, and your imagine.  They taste great and are fun to make! 

Salad dressings ~ my kids eat plenty of fresh veggies with ranch.  They always have, but I didn't realize until about 3 years ago that ranch is LOADED with MSG and other preservatives.  So, all those healthy meals really weren't as healthy as I thought they'd been.  Making your own dressings is a quick and easy fix, and in the long run it costs less too.

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Organic is a great way to go and I go that way as often as I can, but as I said, we're talking limited budget here. There are only 2 items that I try to never buy if they're not organic...apples and potatoes!  Both are LOADED down with chemicals if not organic - more than most of the other produce.  If you can't afford to get these things organic either, you can wash them well and peel them before you cook/eat them.

If you're worried about GMO you can check the stickers on your produce...they actually do mean something to you and not just to the people that work in the grocery store.  Who know, right??

Garden ~ If you're still worried, or you simply want to take it a step farther - you can grow your own food!  I strongly recommend this route.  It's so much fun for the kids, and educational too.

Don't be overwhelmed....

 

Remember, it's best to ease into it.  Don't try to do it all at once, or you may end up stressing yourself out and that's not good for your health either.  Just pick one and start there.  I started with the homemade ranch dressing. And from there, I discovered the Mac & Cheese and then the cereal.

It's a journey, not a race.  No one has arrived and certainly no one should be trying to "beat you to it".  :)  And, since we're all on this journey together, I'd love it if you would leave a message with your favorite ways to cut back on preservatives and additives in your food!   I can't wait to hear from you!

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Healthy 2day Wednesdays

Is True Love Blind?

They say, "love is blind", but is it really?

In those first weeks of a dating relationship it may be.  You spend as much time together as you can.  You overlook the flaws, or the bad points because the good points out weigh the bad.  In fact, sometimes you don't see the bad points at all.  Not because there aren't any.  You just aren't seeing them because you're in "love".  This is the kind of love that's blind.  This is also NOT genuine love.  This love is short lived and won't last.

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Married life is grand and glorious for a grand total of 3 weeks...maybe.  And then it hits.  Life.  You should have known it was coming.  But you didn't.  You thought he was perfect.  He thought you were perfect.  You're left to wonder what happened and where things went wrong.  As Elizabeth Elliott said, they went wrong back in the garden of Eden.  You are both children of Adam.  Sinners.  What did you expect?
My husband is a preacher.  We've heard it said so many times:

•  "I just don't feel loved" 
• "I don't feel any love for him"
• "It just doesn't feel right any more."
• "We've grown apart"

There's 2 things wrong with each of these statements.

#1 ~ Love isn't a feeling.  True love is a decision to give yourself completely and totally for the good of the other person.  It's  doing right toward the other person when you don't feel like it.  When it's not easy.  When it's not deserved.

True love is not blind.  It's quite the opposite.  True love is knowing the sins and flaws of your husband better than anyone and turning a blind eye.  Loving him anyway.  Encouraging him because you know you're a sinner as well and in need of encouragement.  Forgiving him the way you, yourself would want to be forgiven.  And possibly encouraging, forgiving, and loving even though you know it won't be returned.  That's True Love.  This is the love Jesus had for us when He died on the cross. 

#2 ~ All of these statements revolve around the wrong person.  Who are you in this thing for?  Is it about you, or your husband?  I understand that we all need to feel loved, but True Love is not about you.  It's about the other person. True love is a willingness to give up a few things to make the other person happy and then you'll find that you are a happier person and more fulfilled in your role as wife.

True love is not about you.  True love is not about receiving, but giving.  It's doing.  Love is a decision.  An action.  Hard work.  

True love is not a feeling.  It's not something that we can find or fall into.  It's something that must be worked at, and built up every day.  True love is not blind.  It just knows how to turn a blind eye to the things that are not that important in the long run, focuses on the good rather than the flaws, and is determined to raise the object of affection to a higher position than ever before.

  TRUE LOVE:  Romans 5:8  But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

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