The Light Awakens

December 23, 2015

“Fear is the path to the dark side.  Fear leads to anger.  Anger leads to hate.  Hate leads to suffering.”
~ Yoda, from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Winter Solstice has arrived. December 21 or 22 (depending on what time zone you live in) was the longest night and shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Winter Solstice also signals the rebirth of the Sun, as the days begin to lengthen from now until the Summer Solstice in June, bathing the Earth and its inhabitants in ever-increasing light.

Adding to the season of light will be a rare Christmas full moon, peaking at 3:12 a.m. Pacific Daylight time.  The last time a full moon lit up the Christmas Sky was in 1977 and the next won’t be until 2034.

This expansion of light comes at a time when our national and global conversations have been provoked by fear.  The news media of today is driven by “clickbait” – headlines, stories and programs designed to grab the viewer’s attention by any means, driving page views and television ratings in order to increase advertising revenues.  When we let our responses be driven by fear, anger and voyeurism, we become tools of our own emotional and spiritual oppression.

In keeping with the season, let us look toward the light.  Joy, kindness and good news shine brightly all around us; we need only open our eyes to see it.

Here are just a few examples:

An anonymous man recently paid off more than $106, 000.00 in layaway bills for shoppers at two Wal-Mart stores in Ohio.  He told the employees at the store that he likes to do something special to celebrate his birthday each year and, this year, he decided to help struggling shoppers to have a Merry Christmas.  Layaway is a form of credit where you buy the item but leave it at the store, paying a little money every week until you have paid the bill in full.  Only then can you take the item home.  One woman came into the store to make a $10 payment on a bed for her 3-year-old daughter, only to be told that her remaining balance of $80 was paid and the bed was hers to take home.  She was overjoyed and remarked that the kind gesture of this stranger was “like Santa.”

A young girl in Ontario, Canada spent her seventh birthday selling hot chocolate to raise money to help Syrian refugees.  Setting up a stand at the end of her driveway, Abigail MacDonald poured cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows, collecting $1,800.00 in donations, which will go toward sponsoring a family in need of refuge.

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, Sheriff’s deputies in Orange County, California recently gave out Christmas surprises instead of tickets.  The deputies pulled over dozens of unsuspecting motorists who, assuming they were being pulled over for a traffic violation, initially reacted with worry, asking why they were being stopped.  The deputies then handed each of the drivers an envelope which contained a $100 bill instead of a subpoena.  One woman said her electricity was about to be shut off and that the $100 surprise would enable her to pay the bill.  A teenager who was stopped while walking down the street with friends gave the officer a hug after receiving his holiday surprise.

There are so many wonderful points of light illuminating life on Earth each and every day. To quote another Jedi Master:

“Your focus determines your reality.”

Don’t give in to the Dark Side.  Awaken to the Season of Light.

~~~~~~~~~

Ever had a pancake shaped like a cupcake? Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Caramel Glaze are a Holiday-worthy breakfast treat.

Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Caramel Glaze
These unique cupcakes will brighten up your Christmas breakfast and the buttery-rich maple syrup caramel glaze will make you want to lick the spoon clean.  Use your favorite pancake mix in the recipe (I used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix).  For a sweeter cupcake, use vanilla yogurt.  For a saltier, more savory cupcake, use plain yogurt.

1 cup plain or vanilla flavored whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 cups of your favorite pancake mix
Maple Caramel Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350°F

Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners or grease muffin cups with butter.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix well.

Add pancake mix and stir until combined but do not overmix – a few lumps are o.k.

Divide batter between the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until top springs back lightly when touched.  Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool.

While cupcakes are cooling, make glaze.

Maple Caramel Glaze

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)*
1/2 cup pure, real maple syrup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*I prefer salted butter for this glaze, as it compliments the caramel flavor.

Place the butter, maple syrup and brown sugar inside a medium-sized heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil.  Stir in the milk and let the mixture return to a boil.  Remove the pan from the heat and add half of the confectioner’s sugar.  Using a wooden spoon or a heat-proof silicone spatula, stir and smash the lumps until the mixture is mostly smooth.  Add the remaining cup of confectioner’s sugar and continue stirring and smoothing until no lumps remain.  By this time the glaze should be firmed up.  If you wish to thicken it more, you can let it sit a bit more.  Stir to smooth again before you glaze the cupcakes.

To glaze the cupcakes:
Dip and swirl top of each cupcake into the glaze.  Let set for a few minutes and serve  or store in a covered container.

If you have leftover glaze, save it and use to top ice cream or fruit.  You may be tempted to eat it all with a spoon, but resist that urge and save any remaining amount of this superb topping for another use.

Makes 12 cupcakes

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