I love marmalade, especially orange marmalade with large peel chunks. The bittersweet taste automatically starts my memory replays of being with my mother and friends in Provence. They give way to shared breakfasts with many others, always with marmalades on the menu. I enjoy making it, from choosing the organic fruit to the process of cooking and then letting it cool and rest in anticipation of what is to come.
My last batch took on a new twist of remaining thin, refusing to set. The suggested remediation step was to continue reducing the mixture until it had reached a certain consistency. What started out as an additional five minutes ended up being closer to 60 minutes at a near boil, stirred constantly. As my patience extended farther than I thought was possible, Life took advantage, whispering how the lessons in this process extended into today.
The pace of life unfolds in a time and way of its own. I would love to control the events in my life, starting with what happens and when. However, experience likes to remind me that I am not in control. I am confronted with a choice. I can be frustrated by what is unfolding. Alternatively, I can be in the moment, accepting the gift of being present, and take a decision on the step that is now. The choice is not always obvious or easy. My ego likes to drive my rebellion. In letting this go, I find myself in a moment of stillness and silence, an opportunity waiting for me to decide.
In letting go and being, I always find an embrace of peace. As I let go and went through the steps of repeated reducing, I could see something wonderfully emerging. Old words put into action; “If we believe, though, we’ll experience that state of resting. But not if we don’t have faith. Remember that God said, Exasperated, I vowed, ‘They’ll never get where they’re going, never be able to sit down and rest.’” (Hebrews 4.3)
In the end, rest and a wonderful topping filled with memories emerged.
