I'M SICK OF LEMONADE!!

I'M SICK OF LEMONDADE!!!

A widowed friend of mine recently experienced the one year anniversary of her husband's passing as a result of a tragic accident. From a distance, my friend seems to be coping as well as can be expected along her grief journey.  Appearances are very deceiving because as widows we know all too well that the first year, with all it's firsts, can be excruciatingly painful. 

As an expression of her tremendous heartache and emotional grief,  my friend posted as her Facebook status, "I've always heard that when life gives you lemons, to make lemonade. Well, I'm sick of lemonade!" I am sure all of us can relate to that expression and the depth of emotion behind it! 

Searching my heart and mind for some kind of encouragement to share from someone who often feels the same way after losing my own husband almost six years ago, I remembered drinking lemonade with lunch earlier in the week. The best lemonade is made naturally from fresh squeezed lemons and sweetened to perfection, but my lunch-time beverage was artificially sweetened and made from a canned mix. 

I try to think of the lemons life throws my way (and the resulting lemonade  I make from each experience) as both good and bad at the same time. In case that statement is perceived too negatively, may I clarify exactly why I think it is so?

The perfect lemonade, prepared in just the right blend, can be sweet, cool, refreshing, and thirst quenching. If just one ingredient is added in an inappropriate quantity, the result is a water-based beverage that is bitter, too tart, or weak and not so refreshing. Trying to swallow unsavory lemonade will burn as it goes down. 

Sometimes lemonade can be enjoyed coming from the cute kids' neighborhood lemonade stand for just a nickel and a smile.  The simple joy of watching a child pour out their concoction for the neighborhood to enjoy is enough at that moment. It doesn't matter how it tastes, we just grin and bear it for the kids' pleasure. Other times, it costs an arm and a leg at the pricey, over-rated restaurant tables of life. The service is terrible and the atmosphere leaves much to be desired. It costs much more than its actually worth and burns our throat as it goes down. 

Losing a spouse can leave our hearts feeling like very bruised, fermenting lemons. Nothing about our lemons could ever be expected to make perfect lemonade. It throws the entire recipe of life out of proportion. 

I've never claimed to be the smartest cookie in the jar of life, but I've lived long enough to have learned from personal experience we sometimes have to accept some bad lemons as just a part of life so we can more fully appreciate the better blends of lemonade that come our way---and they will, in time, although quite differently than we might expect. Just as a good lemonade recipe's success is based on the right balance of ingredients, so the natural process of our grief journey will be if we keep it in balance and perspective. 

Once we discover our own perfect lemonade blend made from the lemons life throws our way, we won't want to change the recipe to fit what others think it should taste like.  We will allow ourselves the right balance of time, godly counsel, and healing to take place naturally within our lives. 

Letting God's living water and His peace that passes all understanding form the base of our lemonade recipe ensures that everything will be in perfect balance as it flows down into our parched and thirsty souls. 

Would anyone care for some cool, refreshing, lemonade? Lets  enjoy this recipe the next time we are tempted to simply eat sour lemons instead of making our own special brand of lemonade! 

Perfect Lemonade

Prep time: 10 minutes   Yield: Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 cup water (for simple syrup)

1 cup lemon juice

3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

METHOD

1.  Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

2. While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

3. Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. 

If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it. Serve with ice, and sliced lemons.

----Recipe courtesy of Simply Recipes http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_lemonade/