When you’re as old as Lila (age 91), you have wisdom. When Lila was in college in her 50’s, she asked her religion professor, Dr. David McKechnie Hay, for a list of the most important books he had ever read.

He gave her this list the following week. She read every book on the list and thousands more. I have Dr. McKechnie Hay’s  list that she was given in 1981 on the bottom of this post. Links to these books are provided.

Lila wrote this poem in 1993.

Why I Pray

Oh Lord,

You know me before I was born,

You know my thoughts before I think them.

You care for every hair on my head.

You love me, though I often fail to love you.

You have a plan for me that I cannot see.

Since you know all about me,

Why should I need to pray?

Not because you need me, No.

But, because I need You.

Every hour

Every day

Every year

That Lord,

is why I pray.

Love,

Lila – April 1993

Cherry Squares

Today’s recipe is Cherry Squares. You could make this to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Who has time to roll out sugar cookies? Cherry Squares are red and look Valentine’s Day festive!

This is a recipe from the ‘70’s for company or dessert. It makes a lot, as it fills a large jellyroll pan. I came from a family of 7. That’s 5 ravenous kids and 2 exhausted adults. There were very few leftovers.

If your family is less than 7, you may want to make ½ of the recipe with only 1 can of cherry pie filling and 1 teaspoon of yeast. Use a 9X13 cake pan for this ½-sized recipe conversion.

Cherry Squares

Tools You’ll Need:

• Fork or pastry blender
• Bowl
• Can opener
• Jelly roll pan

Ingredients:

• 1 package yeast
• ¼ C warm water
• 4 C flour
• 1 C butter, room temperature
• 2/3 C whole milk, scalded
• 1 T sugar
• 2 cans cherry pie filling

Dissolve yeast in water. Blend flour and butter like pie dough with fork or pastry blender. Add the yeast mixture. Cool the milk and add sugar. Add milk mixture to the dough. Roll ½ of the dough and put into jellyroll pan. Add pie filling on top. Add rest of dough on top. Bake in 350 oven for 25-30 minutes. Frost or sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Lila’s College List of Important Books from Dr. David McKechnie Hay:

Many of these books are free on Kindle or an inexpensive download

• Fyodor Dostoyevsky – Crime and Punishment (Free on Kindle)

• Fyodor Dostoyevsky –The Brothers Karamazov (Free on Kindle)

• St. Augustine –The Confessions

• Thomas a Kempis – The Imitation of Christ

• Blaise Pascal- Pensees (Thoughts)

• Roland Bainton-Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther

• J. W. N. Sullivan – Beethoven-His Spiritual Development

• Plato – The Apology