The Heart Wants What The Heart Wants: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

The heart wants what the heart wants.  I’ve been on an ongoing journey of intense reflecting, meditation, and going through the process of trying, like many of you, to figure out what exactly I am meant to do in life.  Much of this all started when my father passed away nearly 3 years ago.  Although I am not grieving the loss anymore, his death was a catalyst in helping me filter the importance of living a life consistent with what I believe and having the courage to continue to walk down this path.

The older I get (will be turning 40 next year) I realize that the optimism and hope I once had for people has eroded into acceptance that not only are people not perfect, they are in fact very broken.  The only saving grace about any of this is knowing my hope, joy, and peace does not directly come from people.  Instead, I rely solely on my faith that convinces me I never walk alone in this journey called life.

Another reality I’ve come to accept is that nothing surprises me anymore.  There are people hurting all around us, atrocities happening, and hearts breaking because we’ve become a collective culture of self perpetuated importance where we make self absorbed decisions with the hope of self gratification at the risk of putting our friends, family, jobs, etc at the alter of consequences which can change the lives of those around us, forever.  And I am not here to judge anyone but rather to point out that we are living in a digital age where we project not only is life good but that it’s great, as we whine our 1st world problems into clever passive aggressive social media status updates fishing for likes. This makes me so very sad.

Boundaries which used to be clearly black and white have become a gazillion shades of grey.  Just read the news and you will find countless headlines which support my theory that people will make (often) stupid, irrational decisions because the heart wants what the heart wants regardless of all those people who will get bulldozed along the way.

But the good news is each day we have an opportunity to wake up and get off this crazy train and be the good guy.  The one who restores a little bit of sanity in a crazy world, shows a little compassion where hope is needed, and extends open arms of love and grace to those who are in need.  We don’t have to settle for this me-first driven culture.  Instead, we can choose to live outside the box and seek a life beyond a me-first world.

We can make a decision to live courageously today by being intentional in our words, actions, and thoughts.  We can choose to live a life where we value other people beyond our own needs to be satisfied.  And no, I am not talking about letting other people take advantage of us so we can play the supporting role of a door mat in the story of their lives.  No, I’m talking taking the reigns of our own life and to give out of the overflow of our own lives to be an impactful positive influence in the lives of others which cannot happen until we go through the often painful process of self transformation from the inside out.  To look inside the deepest part of who we are and to deal with all the ugliness which only serves to decay us into numb self centered people is a good step in the right direction.

I don’t pretend to know the answers to anything.  All I know is the heart wants what the heart wants.  And I want my heart, and the hearts of my children, to choose what is good, lovely, true, and real and seek adventure on the road less traveled.  It’s a lifelong adventure with valley lows and mountain top highs.  But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now that I got that off my chest, I want to point out this lovely recipe I have for you today.  Made with pumpkin and mini chocolate chips, this homemade pancake recipe is one you will want to bookmark.  It’s one of those recipes you may only make once in awhile because it’s seasonal but  when you make it you will always be glad you did.  I’ve been using a lot of self-rising flower lately in my baking to see how it holds up in recipes and I must say I really enjoy using it for bread, pancakes, scones, etc. But never for cakes. Do not like it for cakes.   My kids love this recipe and when you need a pumpkin muffin or cake fix but don’t have the time to bake a loaf, this recipe will more than satisfy – rather quickly too.  I hope you enjoy it, it is definitely a family treasure in our kitchen.