Motivating Monday – Delicious Lessons from the Cherry Tree

 

 

“If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.” – Tom Hanks

 

 

Now that we live in the mountains, our family has begun a summer tradition of picking fresh cherries from a nearby mountain orchard.  The kids love hunting for the “perfect” cherry, which would be nearly black with ripeness, and my wife and I love having fresh, juicy cherries to cook with.

 

 

Of course, we have to keep an eye on our two little ones.  In their anticipation, they tend to grab the first cherries they find – even if this means picking them up off the ground!  The secret to finding the sweetest cherries, however, is to climb a ladder and reach as high as humanly possible.  It’s on these high, “hard-to-get-to” branches that the best fruit can be found.

 

 

Isn’t this a perfect picture of fulfillment in life?  If we only attempt things that are easy – things that we know we can do – then we will never find life’s sweetest joys!  On the other hand, if we dare to climb a little higher, push a little further, and dream a little bigger than those around us, then we will unlock the secret to true happiness and accomplishing more than we ever dreamed would be possible.

 

 

Dare to do something hard today! 

 

 

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Old Fashioned Cherry Cobbler Oatmeal

I love cooking oatmeal for breakfast, but my kids will only eat it if it sounds really special.  This has given me a reason to experiment with it, and we’ve gulped down everything from Apple Pie Oatmeal and Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal to my children’s favorite – Smore’s Oatmeal!

 

Here’s a family favorite, using the fresh cherries I mentioned above!  Feel free to play around with this recipe and concoct your own family favorites!

 

 

Ingredients:

     – 2 cups water

     – A pinch of salt

     – 1 cup Quick-Cooking Oats

     – 1/2 cup fresh cherries, pitted and sliced

     – 3/4 cup brown sugar

     – 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

     – 1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Directions:

1.)  Add salt and cherries to water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Allow the cherries to boil for 1-2 minutes to bring out the flavor.

 

2.) Add the oats and bring down to medium heat, cooking for 1 minute and stirring occasionally.

 

3.) Take off the heat and add brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.

 

4.) Top with whipped cream and additional cherries, if desired, and enjoy!