I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the store sign: The Store of Truth.
There they sold the truth.
The sales assistant was very courteous: what type of truth did I want to buy, the partial truth or the total truth?
The total truth, of course.
No falsehoods for me, no defenses, no rationalizations. I wanted my truth pure and simple and all of it. He pointed me to the other side of the shop, where the total truth was sold.
The clerk who was there looked at me pityingly and pointed to the price tag. “The price is very high, sir,” she said.
"How much it is?" I asked, determined to obtain the total truth at all costs.
“If you choose this,” he said, “you will have to pay for it by losing rest for the rest of your life.”
I sadly left the shop. I had believed I could get the whole truth for a modest price. I'm not ready yet
in truth. I long for peace and rest from time to time. I still need to fool myself a little with my defenses and rationalizations. I still seek the refuge of my unquestioned beliefs.
Anthony deMello
In a church in Frankfurt there was a magnificent statue representing Christ. During the Second World War, Frankfurt was subjected to terrible bombings. It happened that at the end of the war, the statue no longer had hands. Numerous sculptors offered to make new hands, so that no one could notice the difference. After considering all these offerings, the church members decided to put the statue back without the hands. This inscription was then added: «Christ has no hands, except ours»
Advice FROM NATURE
The gentian
The gentian is a perennial plant belonging to the Gencianáceas family, and is a plant that reaches a maximum height of 1,2 meters. The gentian root is bitter like picrin and rich in glycoside substances (gentiopicrin, genciomarin and genciin). It also contains various sugars and pectin. Due to its bitter root it has an action that stimulates the secretion of the digestive glands. For this reason it helps fight against anorexia and aids digestion.
Gentian remedy for indigestion: Pour 1 tablespoon of gentian root and 1 tablespoon of chamomile along with a few drops of honey into a cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Drink a cup when you feel the discomfort of poor digestion.
Gentian Remedy for Flatulence: Boil 1 tablespoon of gentian root for 5 minutes in 1 cup of water. Take 3 cups daily before meals. If you don't like the flavor, to give it a better taste you can add a few grains of star anise.
Remedy with gentian to remove stains from hands and face: Mix 1 teaspoon of gentian and 1 of dandelion in half a glass of water. Boil for 5 minutes, cool, filter and add a squeeze of lemon. Dip a cotton ball and apply to the stains. Avoid exposing the area to the sun for several hours.
Lenten soup
Ingredients for 4 people: * 4 eggs, 4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, 4 tablespoons of parmesan, 1l of meat broth, nutmeg, salt
Bring the meat broth to the boil. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and whip the latter until stiff; Beat the egg yolks with a pinch of salt with a fork and then mix both gently so as not to break down the whites.
Add the breadcrumbs, grated parmesan and a grating of nutmeg to the mixture.
Always mix gently and, when the ingredients are well blended, pour them by spoonfuls into the boiling broth.
In a few moments the soup is ready to be poured into individual bowls and can be flavored with a sprinkling of parmesan and more nutmeg to taste. Serve it piping hot.
Good to know
Before washing the pan, let it rest for about ten minutes in water and baking soda. Alternatively, scrub it with dry bicarbonate of soda and a damp abrasive sponge.
For non-stick pans, prepare a paste of baking soda and water to apply with a cloth and rub gently. This way you will remove the grease without ruining the non-stick coating, and the food smell that is usually so difficult to eliminate will also disappear.
Wash the bottles. The bottle is usually simply cleaned with water to which a little table salt is added, then rinsed thoroughly with water. If you want to disinfect the bottle, boil some water with the addition of one or two tablespoons of soda and pour it into the bottle, then rinse. The slightly acidic smell often disappears by washing the bottle with warm water to which a teaspoon of yeast is added.
Crayon stains. Sprinkle a little baking soda on a damp cloth and wipe crayon stains off the walls. If the crayon is on your wallpaper, try it on a “hidden” area to see if your wallpaper gets cleaned and doesn't flake, or that the crayon dirt doesn't come off evenly.
