helper.

Ever since the gluten-free beignets incident, I’ve wanted to try and make some home-made donuts worthy of some hot apple cider.  Our daughters aren’t currently eating gluten-free, because we hope to get them officially tested soon – so I wanted to use this to my advantage.  Yes, I will confess – I believe gluten tastes amazing.

So this past week, I found a recipe that sounded awesome.  I waited until the girls were all awake, and I got the oil heating on the stove.  As I stirred in the cinnamon, and the nutmeg, I’m pretty sure I was more excited than they were.  Finally the dough was ready, and I went to check on the oil.  It seemed like it might be a bit too hot, so I turned it down and waited a minute or two.  I cut the first couple donuts, and gently dropped them into the oil to fry.

They turned black almost instantly, as a sizzling cloud of smoke rose from the pot.

So I turned down the heat, and waited a bit longer.  Finally, I cooked the rest of the donuts to a crisp golden-brown, dusting them each with cinnamon/sugar when they were finished.  They looked amazing.  We sat down together at the table, each with a cold glass of milk.  One by one, as we bit into our donuts, we realized that even though they looked amazing, and ready to eat – the middle was a bit soft.  Okay, it was pretty much still dough.  One out of 3 daughters still loved them.

One of our daughters looked at me, and with a cuteness I could not resist, she offered, “Daddy, why don’t you let mommy help you next time?”   🙂

“The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” – Genesis 2:18

I’m thankful for my helper. I realize there are moms and dads out there who, for different reasons, find themselves parenting on their own with His help. But I’m blessed to have an incredible woman, to do so much more than help me not burn the donuts.  This moment comes as a reminder to us as parents:

We are only the best parents we can possibly be – when we understand we have a helper.  We are doing this together, and ultimately – together with The Helper.  You’re not alone, even if you’re reading this as a single parent.  We each have a God who sees what we need, and is working to provide for those needs.  May we turn to toward Him, thankful for what He has given us, and looking forward to the day that, with our children, we will experience healing and newness as never before…

And even now. 🙂