I was shocked and dismayed. You see, fresh pastelitos de carne are comfort food to me. Imagine a flaky round croissant that has a little pocket of ground beef, garlic, onions and Caribbean spices. Now picture that pastry brushed with sticky and sugary syrup. As you bite down into it, the flaky sticky sweetness melts into the savory goodness. As each morsel goes down, you feel warmth radiate through your whole being.
It’s a little taste of heaven on earth.
I was in Miami for my Mom’s 70th birthday party. Now, my mother is very hard to shop for, but I needn’t have worried; my eldest sister had concocted a “gift” for my mother that she couldn’t refuse.
“Seventy Desserts for Seventy Years”We had a VERY light dinner followed by a free-for-all at the dessert table. Everything there was a sweet of one kind or another.
Except for one item...
My sister included a few pastelitos de carne for her youngest brother. She really does love me!
Back to my shocking morning.
I had just discovered that there were no meat pastries for me at the cafeteria. With a heavy (yet rapidly-beating thanks to the cortadito) heart, I walked back home. Defeated in my quest for pastelitos, I settled for cereal that morning for breakfast.
Later on at Publix (the best grocery store chain in existence), I got a few odds and ends that I can’t find in Culpeper. A Miami Dolphins reusable shopping bag (much to the chagrin of my Buffalo Bills buddy, Justin), O-rings for my Cuban Coffee maker, tiny Styrofoam espresso cups, Cuban bread, and YES a pastelito de carne.
As the cashier and bagger (of indeterminable Hispanic origins) rang me up and placed the goodies in my new shopping bag, I paused as they were finishing and thanked them.
“Gracias. Que Dios te Bendiga.”
They stopped, looked up at me in surprise, smiled and replied in unison.
“¡Amen!”
I had literally said, “Thank you. May God bless you.” Those simple words made an impact that I couldn’t have predicted. It reminded me of the power of blessing.
You see, you don’t hear too many blessings on the streets of South Florida.
You know the expression, “If you don’t like my driving, stay off the sidewalk!” Well, I had to jump out of the way one morning when a car turned left ONTO THE SIDEWALK, possibly heading towards the cafeteria I just came from.
I guess they needed their Cuban Coffee too…
Life is so hectic down there. Everybody seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere; then they’re in a hurry to get back. It took me about half a day to get back into “Miami Driver Mode.” In MDM, you realize that traffic signals and stop signs exist only to be obeyed by OTHER drivers. Maybe it’s the heat and humidity, maybe it’s the congestion, maybe it’s the fact that nobody obeys uses his or her own turn signals, but people tend to say and do nasty things on the road. I saw one driver stomp out of his car and verbally accost the person in front of him because their car just died.
“If your car isn’t running, you shouldn’t be in the middle of the $^$% road!”
I just wasn’t feeling the love.
What is it about the power of words to elevate or knock down people?
Proverbs 18:21 says “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (NIV)
We have been given the marvelous gift of language, but it can wring curses on others as well. How do we go about learning to bless others rather than curse them? What is to be gained by a life of blessing? Who needs to hear a genuine and heartfelt blessing from you this week?
Bendiciones.
Joe
Related Verses
Luke 6:27-36 (NLTse)
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.
“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
Proverbs 18:7-8 (NIV)
A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 27:14 (NIV)
If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.
James 3:9-12 (NLTse)
People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.
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