“If you’re going to recognize your value, you have to see yourself as amazing, as wonderful. It’s not because of who you are, but because of who made you. You have the fingerprints of God all over you.”
The FINGERPRINTS OF GOD!? That sentence has been carved into my thoughts since I read it weeks ago. I am part of a daily email chain that offers a theme, a biblical quote, and then a mediation on how to apply these ancient words to present day.
(Remember, when you read the word God in AGT and you get squirmy - please replace it with the words that resonate with you — higher power, the universe, the Divine, the Creator, that which is greater than me... )
I know as a kid I was taught to love all things, especially myself, because we're all of God’s creations. Anytime I was critical, judgmental, or found myself feeling LESS than toward someone, there was some Catholic school teaching to remind me that I was finding fault in the work of God.
These last six months of quarantine have most likely not been amazing for you and your family. There have been disappointments of canceled vacations, school postponements, illness, loss, betrayals of government, civil unrest, working from home — it's an endless list of things we could criticize, right? As of now, I haven’t found an understanding of where God is in all of this.
I know personally, with the isolation and stay at home orders, I’ve felt helpless and a bit like I’m a failure. I haven’t been able to find my value anywhere. I luckily don’t suffer from depression, but I do come down with a case of The Blahs every once in awhile.
The Blahs for me consist of slogging through the motions, not really being inspired or intentional; complacency at its finest. No bueno. The Blahs don’t really take over my body, they just reside in my mind. Have you been suffering from The Blahs too?
I’m not a therapist, but I know for myself, nature nurtures. I’ve shared on social media that my plants have been my solace through the pandemic. I feel inspired by their tiny sprouts, I’m humbled by their blooms, knowing they’re living out their destiny which is not really a product of my expert care. God’s fingerprints...
The easiest and most effective way for me to get out of my head is to get outside. New York City offers many parks, gardens, and outdoor delights. So once things began to open up my bestie Paige and I took a field trip to the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx.
Talk about God’s fingerprints! The Victoria Amazonica enormous water lily leaves and lotus flowers are my absolute favorite. They are the masterpieces of nature, in my opinion. Paige and I basked in their beauty while they served as the guardians of our secrets during our heart to heart talks as we circled the ponds.
I wrote a post featuring these masterpieces in No Mud, No Lotus three years ago, but these words seem timely to repost.
“Life often feels muddy. A slog. Hopeless. I’m all for positivity but if we don’t sit with the notsogreat experiences, we won’t be able to welcome the blooms that are waiting to emerge. It’s important to acknowledge the hard times. Bless them, don’t curse them. The roots will be fed by the muddy water - something better is growing and finding its way to the surface.”
We must acknowledge the hard times. The water is super muddy right now. Will it clear after the election? When there’s a vaccine? By the holidays? In 2021? It doesn’t matter, we just need to remember that the muddy water is feeding our roots, preparing for the amazing blooms to come.
Now is not the time to be down on ourselves or to doubt our value. The world needs us more than ever. If the Blahs are holding you back, go outside and go on a scavenger hunt for God’s fingerprints.
“If you’re going to recognize your value, you have to see yourself as amazing, as wonderful. It’s not because of who you are, but because of who made you. You have the fingerprints of God all over you.”
And then recognize his fingerprints all over you. We’re embedded with miracles just like the water lily leaves and lotus blossoms. Remind yourself that you too are a masterpiece of nature. You are extraordinary. I believe in you.
I’m sharing a recipe that I made during quarantine for a client. When the request for dumplings came in I was overwhelmed. I doubted myself and my kitchen skills. But look! I made little lotus dumplings that are true masterpieces - with my fingerprints (and God’s) all over them.
Chinese Dumplings (Pork and Shrimp)
There is a vegetarian option using mushroom and carrot AND they make homemade wrappers in the original recipe. If either of those interest you, click on the link above!.
Ingredients
2 cups finely shredded purple cabbage
1/2 cups green onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ lb ground pork
½ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, finely chopped
24 Chinese dumpling wrappers
DIPPING SAUCE
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
Preparation
Combine the cabbage, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and black pepper in a medium bowl and mix until well-incorporated.
For the pork filling, combine the ground pork with 1/2 of the cabbage mixture and stir until well-incorporated.
For the shrimp filling, combine the shrimp with 1/2 of the cabbage mixture and stir until well-incorporated.
To assemble the dumplings, add roughly 1 heaping tablespoon of filling to the center of a dumpling wrapper. With your finger, lightly coat half of the outside of the wrapper with water. Fold the moistened half of the wrapper over the filling and, using your fingers, pleat the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining fillings and wrappers. This seems daunting at first, lean into it, it becomes meditative once you get the hang of it.
Heat the oil over medium high in a large skillet and add a few dumplings, cooking them in batches. Once the bottoms of the dumplings start to brown, add a splash of water and cover with a lid. Steam for about 5 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked and the water has evaporated. Transfer the cooked dumplings to a paper towel-lined plate to remove any excess moisture or grease.
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and pepper flakes and stir to combine. Serve the dumplings immediately with the dipping sauce.
