THE GETTING OF WISDOM - Jennifer Reid

This week has been a time of rest and recovery for me, so I apologise that I didn’t get to try any new cupcake recipes…I’m really prolonging this discovery of the perfect recipe, aren’t I? I just hope you don’t get tired of waiting!!

I still have some photos of some sweet and savoury treats to share though, after attending a 30th Birthday celebration for one of my beautiful niece’s. It was an afternoon for just the girls – High Tea at the Museum of Sydney Cafe!

In case you ever need to know, the Museum of Sydney Cafe is on the corner of Phillip & Bridge Streets, as I got lost and was nearly an hour late!! The waitress and the girls were all kind enough to wait for me though…I think they felt obligated to do so, since I was the one who actually organised it! I couldn’t believe that I didn’t know there was more than ONE museum in the City of Sydney! And I profess to love my city! Ha! I better start getting to know it a bit better then!

It was an enjoyable adventure in getting there anyway, and we got to see some of the sights of my gorgeous Sydney……I hurriedly snapped some shots to remind me to come back another day to spend more quality time exploring…….

We finally arrived at the Cafe to find everyone excitedly waiting for us…but obviously famished. I suddenly felt a tinge of concern, as I thought, how could one possibly get full from a posh High Tea? Everything seemed so little on the menu – words like “ribbon”, “baby”, “mini”, “petit” jumped out at me….and I felt responsible to satisfy everyone’s hunger since I chose the venue!!!

But as soon as the High Tea was served, my heart rate calmed and I could see that we were going to have a satisfying tea time…..

Since I love cupcakes so much, I thought my favourite from the menu would have been a sweet delicacy, but it was actually a humble mini quiche that tantalised my taste buds…..

And for all you tea-lovers, there was an unlimited supply of the most exotic teas I had ever heard of – China Jasmine, Lavender Chamomile, Organic English Breakfast to name a few. But I think the most decadent was the sweet Strawberries & Cream…..

Believe it or not, there was food left over that the waitress took away, and we all went home with full tummies! A lovely way to celebrate a loved one’s birthday!!

The longer I make cupcakes, the more skill and knowledge I’ll acquire about them, and the better I’ll become at making them.

Since celebrating quite a few birthdays in the last few weeks, and with my own just around the corner, it got me thinking about why we celebrate birthdays. Of course, it’s a celebration of the day we were born into this amazing world…but I reckon it’s your Mum that should get all the presents for that “hard labour”!!

Then of course, it’s a celebration that we’ve made it to another year….but some people actually mourn the gradual loss of youth!

However, I’ve just realised what I will choose to celebrate for future birthdays….the getting of wisdom!

Just as we get better (theoretically!!), the more cupcakes we make, so too our character improves (theoretically!!), as time goes by. My thought is that as we get older, life teaches us a few things and we hopefully grow in knowledge and wisdom. Sure, we may lose some of our youth with every birthday celebration, but we can gain so much more. With every birthday celebration, we can choose to pursue greater wisdom! We can also take the time to hang out with people who are wiser than us…we can learn from our elders!

There is a short story I’d like to share:

When I was a boy at my father’s knee,
the pride and joy of my mother,
He would sit me down and drill me:
“Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!
Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!
Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!
Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;
love her—she keeps her eye on you.
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;
never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.
She’ll garland your life with grace,
she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”

This story is from the Message Bible, in the Book of Proverbs Chapter 4, Verse 7. It made me think, it’s cool to have ambitions and dreams. Sure, it’s great to aim for financial success and job security. And it’s certainly important to strive for optimum health. But maybe if we place “the getting of wisdom” first on our list of priorities, above all other things, then everything else may just fall into place?

Also found in Proverbs (Chapter 3:13-18, NIV), is the following “pearl of wisdom”:

“Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honour.
Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.”

Being the youngest of ten children has taught me a thing or two about listening to my elders. I am so blessed to have an abundance of people in my life who are wellsprings of wisdom to me. But recently, I’ve had to walk a path that nobody close to me has had to walk before…breast cancer. So most of the time, I have to turn to God for my advice, guidance and comfort. But that’s okay, because I believe God and His Word are the beginning of all wisdom anyway, so what better option is there, than to go straight to the source?

To end, I’d like to share my story with you. It is a video you can watch by clicking on the link. I was honoured to share it with some women at a recent Pink Ribbon Fundraiser and it may help to explain why “the getting of wisdom” is now such a huge priority in my life!

Enjoy……

Click to watch My Story!