Senior Gift

For those of my readers not in the know, it has been tradition that the seniors of Intervarsity, as their undergraduate years draw to a close, present a gift of sorts to the rest of the fellowship to remember them by, as a class and as individuals. In previous years, it's been a scrapbook of personalized pages reminiscent of high school yearbooks, a CD compilation of beloved songs, a blank picture frame engraved with verses about community. The class of 2011 brought back the scrapbook concept to deliver advice (and prayerfully, wisdom) we painfully and perhaps serendipitously found over the years, loosely bound by the theme "Rated R". Recollections and realizations - raw, real, and in many cases, redeemed. We believed it is our histories that have shaped us and that hopefully linger as a vehicle through which Spirit would nudge the spirits of the next generations. And thus, a deadline was set, and the stories poured in. And characteristically, I hurriedly typed up half a page the night before the booklets were to be printed.

So, at the request of my mother ("What is this recipe that your friends are commenting about?"), and for the sake of shamelessly making this blog a bit more prolific, here was my contribution.

My dear dear CCF family,

Here’s a recipe I’ve tweaked over the years:

v  1 life, do not slice, dice, or chop; should be homogeneous throughout school, work, fun

v  7 days/week of honest prayer and the Word, finely ground; incorporate well into the aforementioned life

v  several packets of thankfulness, really brings out the aroma of joy; you can never have too much of this one

v  frequent reflection and remembrance, add to taste; I strongly suggest investing in a handy journal or blog

v  1 full cup of sleep; I find it really helps with the remembrance

v  8 oz. of loving spontaneity; oftentimes, a quality hour with a quality friend yields much more than three hours of “writing” a paper

v  8 oz. of self-control, infused with discipline, sprinkled with wise “no”s; sometimes, that paper just gotta get done, and preferably on time

v  a couple fresh sprigs of dreams, desires, and full-bodied emotion; for all you rationalizing T’s out there, do not skip this one

v  a bold dash of faith and equal parts action; never add one without the other or the flavor will be horrendously off

v  an open handful of sacrifice; a little bitter on the tongue, but infinitely deepens the taste of life

v  2 extra measures of His grace (remember, this is expensive stuff, even though you get it for free); one for others, one for yourself

v  1 pinch of your own salt.

Mix by hand. The dough will seem impossibly thick at times, but no cheating with shortcut electric mixers!

Baking time: indefinite.

Hard work and prep bring you far, but He is the One who ultimately grants growth, goodness, and perfection. Learn to wait.

That gives you time to lick your fingers. And maybe the bowl too.

Don’t be afraid to pipe on generous love, creamed and tempered with real transparent conversation. You won’t run out if you know the Guy stocking your pantry.

Highly recommended: Garnish with close friends and gummy bears.

Feel free to share recipes with me!

eunice.fu@gmail.com

and http://eunifu.blogspot.com/ for everything I can’t fit on this page.

In His infallible love,

Eunice Fu

And yes, I did have an addendum in mind. I just haven't finished writing it. :P