C? What does C stand for? OK, I can't help myself... C is for cookie.

Yes, this reveals my age.

Think about it...
Fresh cookies and milk after school.
Warm cookies on a snowy afternoon.
A full cookie jar on the kitchen counter.

Never having been much of a baker, I was thrilled when our former next-door neighbor wanted to bake Christmas cookies with my four kiddos and myself. We trekked to her house in our boots and mittens, and settled around her kitchen table. She'd already prepared multiple batches of dough for sugar cookies.


With her help, my kiddos rolled out the dough and cut out shapes. We mixed frosting and food coloring in multiple colors, and set it out in bowls on her waxed paper covered dining room table.

You must understand, at the time, I was a pastor's wife with four small children. My best friend in the world had just moved away and I felt more alone than I ever had in my life. My neighbor's cookie-baking offer was the equivalent of an oasis in a storm.

She offered love and care when I felt bereft, kindness and company when I felt very much alone. We continued the cookie-decorating practice at Valentine's Day, and Easter and Christmas, for several years to come. Long enough that her gift of time given, of compassion released, and of friendship offered, is forever imprinted on the minds of my children. She made an impact on our lives through something as simple as cookies.

You might not have a prophetic gift, or be comfortable teaching a Bible study, or be able to give thousands of dollars to charity, or be a leader of hundreds. Don't fret! Even the ability to bake cookies can been a genuine gift of love and encouragement to another member of Christ's body!

(Don't forget to check out the other A2Z Take 2 posts!)


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