Last year, I shared a great recipe for Snickerdoodles, a wonderful, light, cinnamon cookie.  If you are a chocolate lover, this year’s recipe is for you.  It’s really not a “Christmas cookie,” but I do make them each year for the choco-holics at the cookie table!  This recipe will give you about 4 dozen of the most chewy chocolatey cookies you’ll ever have.  Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Cookie

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa (I use Hershey’s Special Dark)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl.  Add eggs and vanilla; blend well. In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; blend into creamed mixture.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes.  Do not overbake; cookies will puff during baking, but will flatten as they cool.  Cookies will be very soft.  Cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet until set, then move to cooling rack to cool completely.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies, baked 12/22/09

I hope you’ll love them, but let me know what you think!

Now, for the cookie exchange – what’s your favorite cookie recipe?

Every Sunday for most of this year, I have featured an opportunity to serve others.  These “Sunday Service” posts provided information on local, national and international charities; some required donations of time, some donations of used goods, some donations of money.  As we approach Christmas, I thought I would take a slightly different approach and talk about the simplicity of service through kindness.

Kindness is borne from the heart, rooted in compassion and revealed in action.  Everyday kindnesses are the simplest ways to give.   Service is being fully present to even the smallest needs of others.  Here are just a few examples of how we can serve through simple kindness:

Service can be as simple as holding a door open for someone struggling to walk, or an elderly man, or a woman carrying numerous packages.

Service can be offering to wrap gifts for someone with arthtitic fingers, shoveling a neighbor’s sidewalk, buying a cup of hot coffee for a homeless person on a cold day.

Service can be sharing a hug with a friend who lost a family member this year, or a military Mom missing her child serving overseas.

Service can be telling a teacher how much you appreciate the lessons they are teaching your child, helping him/her to become a contributing member of society.

Service can be offering an apology to someone you haven’t spoken to in too long a time, or writing a letter to a long lost friend.

Service can be baking an extra dozen cookies and leaving them on a needy neighbor’s doorstep, perhaps with a can of nurtitional soup to warm a tummy on a snowy day.

Service can be buying just one extra gift and delivering it to your local fire station for their community toy collection.

Service can be putting courtesy before urgency while out shopping, staying focused on giving and caring, rather than the stress of traffic and long lines.

Sometimes, the smallest actions make the biggest difference in someone’s day.

What are some simple ways you have shared your heart for service?

What are some actions you have seen by others that helped you remember what the season is really about?

Sometimes, I wonder who thought up some of the special observances that are on the calendar.  Many of these days have been created to draw attention to a certain industry as a way to drive up sales, I’m sure.  Take tomorrow, for example.  As if we weren’t already going to indulge in extra sweets this time of year, December 16 is “National Chocolate-covered Anything Day.”

No kidding.  There really is such a designation.

One thing I’ve observed over the last couple years is the rise in popularity of the chocolate fountain.  This sweet-tooth favorite used to be a luxury item, only provided by caterers at the fanciest of parties.  These days, anyone can buy a fountain for as little as $25!  Toss in random foods for dipping and, voila, you have a party!

At work, numerous celebrations have included a fountain.  The delicious, dark, molten chocolate pouring down the different levels just seems to reach out and grab anyone who passes by.  As the chocolate is continuously circulated through the fountain, party-goers choose from a wide assortment of foods to dip into the chocolate.  Smiles and repeated ‘Mmmm, mmm, mmm’s abound!

There are sweet foods made even sweeter with a coating of chocolate.  Oreos, graham crackers and marshmallows seem to be the favorites.  Just about any cookie will do, too.

The combination of sweet and salty is always good.  Pretzel sticks or Ritz crackers dipped into the melting chocolate is near perfection.  While shopping this week, I noticed that Nabisco has released a limited edition chocolate covered cracker for the holidays.  I bet they got the idea at a party with a chocolate fountain!

Then there are those folks who want the “healthy” snack dipped in chocolate (is there really such a thing?).  For them, there are carrot sticks and celery sticks.  Fruit always makes people feel like they aren’t being quite as bad as the rest of us, so strawberries, pineapple and bananas can also be found near the chocolate fountain.

One of the strangest things I recall was someone who had brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.  She cut it up into small pieces and dipped each piece into the molten chocolate.  I know chocolate and peanut butter are a great combination (think Reese’s), but I’m not sure about the grape jelly!

What is your favorite chocolate-covered treat?  Have you ever had a chocolate fountain at a party?  Share a story!

Image courtesy of www.mymagicaldroplets.wordpress.com

We’re heading into holiday crunch time!  If you’re like me, there’s probably that certain someone – a boss, a kind neighbor, new in-laws – for whom you have no idea what gift to get.  Maybe you want to do a special something to honor a loved one lost in the past year.

You might also be the type of person who doesn’t want to buy a gift just to buy a gift.  You want it to be something meaningful.  You want to make a difference.

World Vision is your answer.  Talk about gifts that keep on giving!  You can feed a family, help dig a well, provide an education for a girl, help a Dad start a business.  You can fund new clothing, provide needed medications, or buy soccer balls.

According to their holiday catalog,

World Vision is a Christian organization serving all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.  They work hand in hand with families and communities to tackle the causes of poverty, helping nearly 100 million people in nearly 100 countries each year.

World Vision is the largest food distributor in the UN’s World Food Programme.  87% of every gift goes directly to help people lift themselves from despair to hope – and create a whole new future for their children.

Below are just a few of the great opportunities World Vision provides so we can make a difference for a long time to come.  Why not donate in the name of someone on your holiday gift list today?

• $16 will buy two soccer balls
• $18 will buy one Bible
• $20 will buy music and art instruction
• $25 will buy two chickens or support the Clean Water Fund
• $30 will buy two ducks
• $34 will buy seeds for two families
• $35 a month will sponsor a child
• $48 will buy three rabbits
• $50 will buy life-saving medicine and supplies
• $75 will buy a goat
• $100 will fund a business loan for a hard-working Mom
• $101 will buy 10 ducks, two chickens and one rabbit for a family
• $500 will buy a pig, a sheep, a goat, and ten chickens
• $2000 will buy two cows, two sheep, two pigs, two goats, and twenty chickens

Talk about gifts that keep on giving!  Imagine the ongoing supply of milks, cheese, eggs, and meat.  As the animals multiply, families can sell surplus food for needed income.

I hope you’ll consider including World Vision in your holiday gift-giving.  Imagine the possibilities!

“Oh, Eleanor, I’m glad you’re here.”

Those were the last words my Dad said to me.  It was about 4:30 p.m., December 10, 2004.  Dad died about five hours later.

My Dad had been battling cancer for about ten years.  It started with colon cancer, then lung cancer a few years later.  The last couple months of his life, the cancer spread to his spine and he was in more and more obvious pain as he tried to continue with living.  A few days after Thanksgiving, at peace with the knowledge that my Mom was being cared for (she had Alzheimer’s, had recently broken her hip, and had been placed by the hospital in a rehab facility), he finally gave in to the disease. 

I think Dad knew in his heart that he no longer needed to fight for her, and so he could stop fighting the disease, too, and – as a devout Christian – find an everlasting peace through that process.

My brother called me when the doctors advised him that Dad didn’t have much longer to live.  I flew from Ohio to Jersey and was blessed to spend the last few days of Dad’s life with him.  I would visit Mom at the nursing home early in the morning, then spend the rest of the day and evening with Dad.

On this particular day, I ran into one of Dad’s nurses in the elevator.  She told me the end was coming that day; she could just tell.  I called my brother and he came right to the hospital.  By this time, Dad was on a great deal of morphine to keep him as comfortable as possible.  His limbs were retaining fluids.  I remember sitting next to him, rubbing his swollen, cold and clammy arm, hoping that he could feel my touch and maybe find some comfort in that.  Dad was in and out of consciousness that last day.  A few of Dad’s friends came and went.

At one point, late in the afternoon, Dad opened his eyes.  He turned his head toward me, and said those last words, “Oh, Eleanor, I’m glad you’re here.”

It gives me comfort to this day that Dad not only knew I was there with him, but that he said he was glad I was there.

Today, tomorrow, this holiday season, take the opportunity to tell your visiting family and friends how glad you are to have them in your life.  Tell them how much their visit means to you.  Tell them how glad you are that they care about you.

Be glad.     Tell them.     You may not have another chance.

Miss you, Dad.

Hard to believe, but today is the 29th anniversary of John Lennon’s death.  I remember hearing the shocking news of his murder as if it were yesterday.

Where were you on this day on 1980?  I was a young mother and wife preparing for our first Christmas as parents.  The harshness of this news about a man who wanted nothing more than peace was so disturbing.

Two of the songs he is most often linked with are Imagine, the title song of his 1971 album and the #3 song of all time per Rolling Stone magazine, and Give Peace a Chance, a 1969 single by Lennon’s Ono Plastic Band.

Here are the lyrics to those two songs.  And, to quote a Lennon/McCartney song, all we need is love, love; love is all we need.

Imagine

Give Peace a Chance

Click HERE for more John Lennon lyrics.

Click HERE to read more about the life of John Lennon.

To launch her new business, Geben Communication, my socially aware, brilliant and generous daughter, Heather Whaling, introduced Geben Gives.  She acccepted nominations of non-profit organizations, used various social media outlets to publicize and to solicit votes, and the winner would get to choose a PR, Marketing, or Social Media package with Heather’s time and expertise donated.

I felt very strongly about two of the nominees but could only vote for one.  I vowed that if one of my favorites won Geben Gives, I would write about the other.  That’s how I got to today’s post.  It’s very exciting that after thousands of votes, Camps for Kids won Geben Gives with a landslide 75%.  That means I’m writing about CaringBridge, my other favorite nominee.  The organization came in second with a respectable 24% of the votes.

According to the CaringBridge website,

CaringBridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free websites that connect family and friends during a serious health event, care and recovery.

A CaringBridge website is personal, private and available 24/7. It helps ease the burden of keeping family and friends informed. The websites are easy to create and use. Authors add health updates and photos to share their story while visitors leave messages of love and support in the guestbook.

Most of us have experienced a family member, perhaps far away, going through some kind of serious health challenge.  We wonder how they are doing.  We want updates on test results, surgery outcomes, recovery progress.  CaringBridge provides a free and easy way for families to communicate via the web.  Messages can be read or added 24/7 anywhere around the world, so family members have news as quickly as it can be added.

How can you help? 

–>Share the CaringBridge website with your friends and family.  Raise awareness before the service is needed.

–>Donate to help keep this free service available to the millions of families that need it.

You can also follow @CaringBridge on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.  CaringBridge fills an important communication need at a critical time for families.  I hope you’ll support their efforts.

PS: I might be a bit biased, but I would encourage you to connect with Heather.  Follow @PRtini on Twitter, visit prTini.com or say hello to Geben Communication.

This past weekend, I came across this great quote by Oren Arnold.  Since ’tis the season of exchanging gifts, he offers some meaningful ones to consider; no wrapping paper needed.

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.

Be aware.  Care.

For information, click HERE to go to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, or click HERE for the World Health Organization site, or click HERE for the Centers for Disease Control.  All three sites have numerous links to click through and research.

Take the time to be aware.  Take the time to care.

Last week, 60 Minutes had a report about the high cost of dying.  The report started out like this:

Every medical study ever conducted has concluded that 100 percent of all Americans will eventually die. 

Surely, that is no surprise to any of us.  And yet, Medicare spent more than $50 bil on healthcare during the last two months of patients’ lives just last year.

The report indicated that was more money than the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Education spent!

If we know we are all going to die, why are we spending so much money to stay alive?  What kind of life quality is that extension really giving us?  And, is the patient really benefiting?  

During the report, Dr. Ira Byock of the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH and author of Dying Well, The Prospect for Growth at the End of Life, was quoted as follows:

[On death] This is a hard time of human life, but it’s just a part of life.  Collectively, as a culture, we really have to acknowledge tht we are mortal, get over it, and start looking at what a healthy, morally robust way for people to die looks like.

Dr. Byock said it costs about $10,000 day to keep someone in intensive care, and they often end up “dying badly” anyway.  When correspondent Steve Kroft asked him to define dying badly, the doctor described patients dying in pain, dying hooked up to machines, or the 75% who die in a hospital or nursing home when most people say they prefer to die at home.

It is important to note that this is not about hastening death.  No one should die before their time.  It is not up to a doctor or a family member or even the patient to shorten a life.  This is not about mythical death panels.  This about about allowing death to occur naturally, and honoring the patient during that process.  It is as important to be fully present to death as it is to life.

It’s a tricky issue.  When is the right time to keep fighting and when is the right time to stop?

My Dad died of cancer five years ago this December 10.  He died in a hospital, on pain medication to keep him comfortable, but had been removed from most other life sustaining equipment.  However, about six years before that, he had a lung removed after colon cancer spread.  His surgeon didn’t want to do the surgery, at first.  My father, at 64, was considered to be too old.  Really?  Thankfully, Dad decided – with his doctor – that there was a reasonable means for him to continue fighting the disease and live a comfortable, useful and meaningful life.

I would like to think that the extra six years he spent with my Mom, the extra six years he enjoyed his grandchildren, the extra six years my brother and I got to have our Dad, was well worth the cost of the surgery and subsequent treatment.  What if his second opinion had been the same as the first?  Would that really have been the best thing?

When the time came, Dad was wise enough to have a living will, making known his wishes about life-prolonging measures.   My brother and I got to spend Dad’s last few days with him.  He was aware of our presence right up until a few hours before his death.  I think he died in a “morally robust” manner, even though hospitalized.

I was intrigued by Dr. Byock’s thoughts.  Death is a part of life.  It’s not an easy part, but is extending a life beyond it’s natural endpoint really any easier?  Dr. Byock is right.  We do need to admit that we are mortal and get over it.  We do need to accept the fact that we are all going to die.  We do need to seek a morally robust way for that to happen. 

Imagine the possibilities if doctors spent the last weeks of their patient’s lives helping them die well, instead of forcing their bodies to stay alive and then having them die badly.

What are your thoughts?  I’d like to hear them.