To care and be cared about is a beautiful thing.
Life has felt full lately, I’m sure for many of you as well. Spring seems to bring out all the big(ger) things in life every year, and somehow I’m never prepared for it. There have been lots of highs and lows, heightened expectations and minor disappointments, moments of clear conviction and moments of unsettling ambiguity. Plenty to celebrate, but also some reminders of the brokenness in life. In a season like this, you will most likely find me in my room during the lows, being a drama queen, pitying myself and praying “help me, God!” And we need that. A recognition that we need strength from a higher source, before emerging from our caves of introversion to face the world again.
And sometimes, many times, that prayer for strength is also answered by means of the people who have been placed in our lives. At the risk of sounding incredibly cliche, I’m just gonna say it: I am so blessed to have the family and friends around me that I do. To be able to be vulnerable around them, and for them to care about my little problems as if they were their own problems… it really is a mystery and one that I am so grateful for.
For me to feel the highs and lows of another, too, is a wonderful mystery. As much as has been happening in my own little world, I am remembering through sharing life with people that, really, my life is a tiny drop in the huge bucket of the universe. Everyone is facing things that are, on most occasions, actually way more momentous and weighty than mine. To be able to put my cares aside and be there for, listen to, and pray genuinely for my friends and family has been one of my greatest joys in this season. Perhaps there is an evolutionary element to caring for others. I suppose you can chalk it up to survival-of-the-fittest-and-its-kin, but I believe there is more to it than that. I mean, what about those people outside of our immediate circles? Why should I care about the well-being of the homeless family on the street? Or the sex-trafficked girls in Asia? And what about the sorry, guilt-wracked man in his prison cell? Caring for others is fulfilling for our own souls, because in doing so, we recognize that there is a humanness that binds us as we strive to figure out this thing called life together. But, I digress. We can talk more about caring about strangers later; for now, let’s focus on the ones already around us. Community is a gift, and we are meant to be in it.
And what better way to do this than at the table? Breaking bread with others, I think, is my love language.
Banana bread feels like something to be shared with others, whether during a heart-to-heart or at an office staff meeting. It’s both hearty and delicious, something to be eaten together while navigating through challenges or celebrating victories together. There are many reasons to share your banana bread with people. If nothing else, do it so you don’t eat the whole loaf yourself.
cinnamon swirl banana bread
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 large eggs
3-4 medium overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour + 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
For the cinnamon swirl:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Directions
1. Move oven rack to lower position, so that the top of the loaf will be in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease bottoms of loaf pan.
2. Mix sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until just moistened (don’t over-mix!)
3. Pour half of batter into loaf pan, reserving the other half. Sprinkle half of cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter in the loaf pan. Add the remaining batter, then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top.
4. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then loosen from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temp for up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days (also freezable!)
