Spending time in a place with so little will arouse an attitude of gratitude for living in a place of enough. To be honest … for living in a place of “more than enough.”

Arousing an attitude of gratitude

We arrived in Delhi early on a Saturday morning. Too early for going back to sleep and too early for getting up. Each team member took their own approach. After trying not to toss and turn with too much noise (sorry, Honey …) for the first two hours, I decided to get up and get dressed and watch Delhi wake up. It didn’t take long to get myself in order, since “ponytail” was the extent of my hair care while traveling. Lovely.

The lounge was already sticky when I walked down the steep steps. I smiled at the groggy desk clerk and concluded I had broken an unspoken cultural rule. With both of us feeling rather sheepish then at 6 am, I sat down on a bench and looked out the window. The street looked a bit like the night after a football game or concert or carnival, but the faces of the early pedestrians gave away the very normal condition of the day. One passing face captured my attention and woke me up.

A girl somewhere between 11 and 13 walked barefoot beside a woman with a baby perched on her hip. I don’t say her “mom,” because I don’t think she was the mom. It was too much to think of her as the girl’s mom. But maybe there was something unspoken culturally there too, because the trio walked past me wearing disheveled rags that also looked like the night after a football game, concert or carnival, but like roadside debris picked up from one of those.

The tween girl limped on her left leg, carrying a tin pan at her side. The pan reminded me of the ones my grandma used to make pies, but then turned into dog pans for leftovers. I watched until the “mother” took the girl past the aggressive buses and equally aggressive crowd, left the child stationed at the corner, and then walked back past me. She stopped only to glance around the frame of the street, to pick through refuse for food overlooked during the night by dogs or cows or other people. Having food, especially having “more than enough” food, makes us rich indeed. Watching Delhi wake up hungry aroused my attitude of gratitude.

Realizing that what we have is having so much will change the way we cook, serve, and welcome friends to our table. This weekend Jeff and I welcomed 8 college students to our table as they celebrate fall break. Instead of complaining about the many hungry mouths or all the paper plates or the dishes to wash, I’m just grateful. So grateful I have food to share. More than enough to share.

Here’s my recipe for Crockpot Sausage Breakfast Casserole that feeds a hungry crowd of 10 – 12, depending on how many of them are college students!

Crockpot Sausage Breakfast Casserole

• 10 pieces of bread, torn
• 1 roll of sausage, cooked and crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 11 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 3 cups shredded colby jack cheese

Spray (cooking spray) a 5 or 6 quart crock. Layer 10 pieces of torn bread all over the bottom. I like to use homemade bread for this, but it’s just as good with french bread or your favorite loaf of bread. Sprinkle the cooked/crumbled sausage all over the bread. Sprinkle with salt, pepper & dry mustard. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over the top. Combine milk and eggs, stirring until eggs are thoroughly combined. Pour the egg/milk mixture evenly over the ingredients in the crock. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese.

I like to assemble this the night before and put it in the refrigerator (another blessing). When you get up, turn the crockpot on to high for about 2 1/2 hours. Check to see if it’s cooked through, though still soft and creamy. You may let it cook another 1/2 hr. if it needs more time. It works well as a “eat when you’re ready” dish … unless you’re the last one 🙂

Serve this with fruit and toast or muffins, if you are so blessed.

Let’s cook, serve, and welcome loved ones to our tables with an attitude of gratitude this weekend!