For a lot of us that stems from the fact that this disease demands a complete lifestyle change that will never go away. I try to live my life in the moment, taking each day as it comes, but sometimes that doesn't always work. Occasionally the reality that I will have to live like this for the rest of my life sneaks up on me from where ever it is that I keep it suppressed and it tries to hurt me. But then I look at everything I have to be thankful for and push that thought right back in place... somewhere at the back of my mind that is close enough to remind me to take care of myself, but far enough away that it doesn't bring me down.
Some celiacs don't have the ability to see it like I do, and I credit my support system for helping me do that. Don't get me wrong, there are ignorant people in my life who do not understand the severity of this disease, but the number of people who understand it and want to take care of me far outweighs the number of ignorant ones, and I am so thankful for that.
We just had our 4th annual Thank Dank 5K this past weekend. For those of you who don't know what that is...We lost an amazing man to a car accident, so each year we put together this trail run to raise money for a scholarship in his name. Family and friends work hard to raise money, promote, and organize this event. It can be a bit stressful and a lot time consuming to make it all just right, but I love being a part of all that and seeing it all fall into place. Watching the community, friends, and family all band together to thank him for everything he gave us (including his amazing daughter, Charlee James who he never got the chance to meet) during his short time with us makes it all worth everything we put in to make it happen. The reason this is significant to this post is because first of all his death is a harsh reminder that life is too short so you need to be thankful for every day, and second of all that the support of family and friends will carry you through even the toughest of times and that support will always be there.
And even though there is so much that goes into making this weekend run smoothly.... there are always gluten free cookies! In comparison to what the weekend stands for cookies are really not important. They would be my last priority for such a busy weekend, but someone is always looking out for me, and despite everything going on... I always have cookies.
Those cookies seem so miniscule when looking at the big picture, but it is just another reminder that I have amazing people in my life who love me. These are the people who carry me through those hard times when this disease tries to bring me down. They are constant reminders to be thankful that it isn't worse, because I know it could be. They never make me feel like I am making a big deal out of nothing, and never show even an ounce of impatience if I need to vent a bit about anything celiac. They cancel any little pity parties that I might occasionally try to throw for myself and give me a much better reason to have a real party. Then they always have plenty of gluten free food and drinks anytime we get togther for those parties and always act like it was no big deal to put together. I hope they all know how much that means to me, because I don't think I could ever tell them in words.
Here are those cookies that make me smile more than any other cookie I have ever had! Thank you friends!
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
1 C natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1 C sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 t vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a mixer, mix the peanut butter, sugar, egg and vanilla on low speed until well combined.
Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough 1 1/2-inches apart onto the baking sheet.
Flatten the dough balls with a fork, making a cross pattern on the cookies.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until they are golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to rest on the counter for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Happy Thank Dank Day and Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Charlee James and I (and papa & penny su) leading the Fun Walk!
Mama won 3rd place.... for her age group! :) Go Mama!
What a great way to end a great birthday weekend!
