Stir Up Sunday

My heart stirred this morning when I heard the words that signal Stir Up Sunday.

Stir Up Sunday gets its name because of the Collect prayer, which begins, "Excita, quaesumus, Domine," which means "Stir up, we beseech Thee, O Lord..."

Over the centuries people began taking that as the cue to stir up your puddings and fruitcakes!

There was that one Stir Up Sunday when I planned to make fruitcakes. I do not remember if I ever carried through with that plan. This year though, I have already carried through a plan. I made cookies!

I made cookies early so I could take them to our church coffee hour. I was feeling festive because I had written this story for the paper all about Thanksgiving and Buffalo and home. There were these cookies in Cooking Light that looked easy so I made them.

They took a while. All cookies take a while, you know? In this case I had to shape them and roll them in sugar and cinnamon.

But they came out great! And I have forgotten how relaxing it is to make cookies, just by yourself, la la la la la la la. I was very pious and ate just one. At the coffee hour they went over big. All the kids were eating them. And as one gentleman pointed out, my cookies were competing with glazed doughnuts right next to them. That the kids were grabbing the cookies was a great compliment to the chef. I sure stirred things up there!

Every cookie has something that makes them wonderful and in the case of this cookie it is the texture. They are thin and really crisp and they are coated with granulated sugar so, yum. I do not have the sweet tooth that Leonard Pennario had but I do get excited about treats now and then. "Excita, Domine ..."

It is funny thinking back on Stir-Up Sunday a couple of years ago. I have fallen into such a medieval view of the seasons. Stir-Up Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent begins. Then Advent starts and you get the beautiful "Rorate" prayer. I have gotten used to all of this and anticipate it even though I did not grow up with it. Then in the middle of Advent comes Gaudete Sunday, "Rejoice."

We have a potluck feast planned for that Sunday.

I guess I will be doing some more stirring up!