Beyond Words

Every morning I have my two cups of coffee with cream (I like a little coffee with my cream!) and every evening after dinner I have my grapes. These two are like clockwork and so is something else on the daily basis: a banana. I’m kinda bananas over bananas and have one every day. My husband loves them too so when I buy them, I buy a bunch of them and I buy green ones so they last the week. I love that they’re full of nutrients but they’re also full of interesting tidbits.

We all know bananas are great sources of potassium, but did you know they are Walmart’s top-selling product? Crazy, right? Of the 75 million products the mega-retailer sells, bananas outsell them all; literally billions of them. Reasons vary, but perhaps it’s because they’re an easy, healthy, and affordable snack and maybe it’s because Walmart usually has them close to the checkouts. Brilliant.

I’m not alone is my love for bananas. Per capita, Americans eat an average of 27 pounds per year and worldwide more than 100 billion bananas are eaten annually. Yes, they’re affordable, yummy, and simple, but they’re also healthy.

A medium banana boasts more than 300 milligrams of potassium, more than two grams of fiber, and on average are only around 90 calories. They also offer additional benefits like an energy boost, blood sugar balancing, and weight control. They also contain three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose, and glucose, along with fiber. They are popular with athletes as they give an instant and sustained boost of energy. In fact, research shows that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. Nutritionists like to say they pack a triple punch of heart health, gut health, and brain health.

When it comes to your heart, the plant-based antioxidants in bananas help protect cells from damage and their potassium has been linked to improved blood pressure regulation. Gut-wise, bananas have prebiotic compounds that fuel “friendly” bacteria in your intestine, which help shield your immune system from bad ones that make you sick. And then there’s the brain. With a quarter of your daily B6 vitamin fix, bananas may help you think straight and calm nerves and anxiety. Diets in the this vitamin are linked to lower risk of cognitive decline and may actually protect neurological function. Other illnesses and conditions bananas have been known to help include: depression, PMS, anemia, blood pressure, constipation, hangovers, heartburn, morning sickness, mosquito bites, and ulcers.

Wow! I think you’ll agree that you’ll never look at a banana in the same way!

Author Dan Koeppel wrote an entire book on bananas simply called “Banana.” It’s described as a fascinating and surprising exploration of the fruit’s history and cultural significance and is definitely on my list of books to read. In it, he writes that Americans eat more bananas than oranges and apples combined every year. When compared to apples, America’s second most popular fruit, bananas rule. They have four times the protein as an apple as well as twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, and five times Vitamin A and iron.

On top of all that, who doesn’t love recipes that use bananas? The yellow gems are used to make likes of delectable banana bread and muffins, banana pudding, banana splits, ice cream sundaes, and the classic pudding and vanilla wafers dessert. I love them in a bowl of yogurt and in my smoothies. Tried and true tip: if your bananas become over-ripe, don’t panic or throw them out. Antioxidants actually increase the longer they ripen so put them in the freezer and they’re the perfect future smoothie or banana bread ingredient. Just bring one out to defrost first or if you forget, run the frozen fruit under warm water and the peel comes right off!

Fun story: when I taught preschool at our church, my aid and I had a fun game we’d do with our three-year-olds. Anytime one of us or a student had a banana, we’d play “banana phone,” calling each other and having a fruitful conversation. The kids loved it and giggled the whole time. Bananas can be fun too!

http://www.rarehistoricalphotos.com

Some say bananas first arrived in the U.S. in Philadelphia around 1876. Although it’s hard to pin an exact date, we do know that in the 1870s, American entrepreneur Minor Keith developed a large banana plantation in Costa Rica and his company, the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita), began shipping bananas to the United States. By the early 20th century, bananas had become a staple of the American diet. Today, the United States imports billions of dollars of bananas each year.

Interestingly enough, during Victorian times it was unladylike for a woman to eat a banana but don’t tell that to Brazil’s Carmen Miranda, who famously donned them in her headdresses!

I can’t go on without talking about bananas’ tough cousin, the plantain. It’s easy to confuse the two as they look alike but they have important differences. Plantains are usually larger and tougher than bananas, with much thicker skin. They are also starchier than bananas and are primarily eaten cooked. Plantains can be boiled, baked, or fried. However, if you were to substitute a plantain for a banana in a recipe, you may be surprised by its very different taste.

And finally, something we hear tossed around in the news and political cycle is “Banana republic.” What exactly does it mean though?

First used in 1904 by American author O. Henry, it generally describes a politically and economically unstable country with an economy dependent on the export of natural resources such as bananas. Typically, a banana republic has a society of ranked social classes, often including a large impoverished working class working class and a wealthy ruling class composed of the business, political, and military elites. The ruling class controls the primary sector of the economy primary sector of the economy by way of exploitation of labor exploitation of labor. The term is often used to describe small Central American countries that are governed by a dictator or armed forces and one that is politically unstable. Let’s hope the U.S. remains a banana lover but not a Banana Republic!

I hope today’s blog has given you lots of food for thought that you find “a-peeling.” Just remember: when life throws you lemons or one bad apple, go bananas and smile!

I’m a big lamp person. I have them everywhere in our home: end tables, nightstands, desks, kitchen counters, and consoles. I love the warm glow they lend a room and the various styles I can incorporate. I’m not a big overhead light person. We rarely use the ones we have in our home and I’m okay with that.

This might be why I was intrigued by a magazine (yes, I love magazines!) article I recently read on the Tiffany Lamp. They’re not my absolute design favorite but I do appreciate the artistry of them and their history.

For more than 100 years, the Tiffany lamp has served a decorative art icon, known for its uniqueness, craftmanship, and stained-glass shade. They remain fixtures in homes and museums and their history is illuminating.

New York City native Louis Comfort Tiffany was born in 1848 and was the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. From an early age, he was exposed to decorative art and design and originally trained as a painter, but in his 20s he became interested in glassmaking after seeing a collection of Roman glass at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He was also influenced by a visit to the Universal Exhibition of 1889 in Paris and his work gained acclaim at the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition.

Joaquin Sorolla “Louis Comfort Tiffany 1911 (Photo: Wiki Art Public Domain)

He was particularly interested in the rustic nature of ancient glass and eventually founded a glass factory in Queens, New York as well as an interior design studio, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Associated American Artists. He thrived as a decorator, proving popular with everyone from wealthy individuals to a president of the United States but eventually dissolved the studio and created the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company in 1885.

In this new venture, Tiffany experimented with tone, texture, and method. He strived to create colorful pieces without using paint or enamel and developed two important innovations: farvrile glass and the copper foil technique.

You could say popularity of Tiffany’s work exploded at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago when he debuted favrile glass. Achieved by mixing different colored hot glass together, Tiffany’s method held stained glass windows together by thick lead rods soldered without any visible joints. Still wanting to be paint-free, Tiffany created a thin, flexible foil that discreetly connects pieces of glass without line or joints. This is the method he used to create the trademark Tiffany Lamps with the help of artist Clara Driscoll who served as the brains behind the beauties.

A typical Tiffany Lamp traditionally consists of a bronze stand topped by a stained-glass shade, and they soon became icons of the Art Nouveau movement. Tiffany loved nature so each shade included patterns inspired by flora and fauna with daisies and dragonflies being the most common. The icon’s most popular styles are also shaped like trees and many of the shades feature scalloped edges reminiscent of flower petals, butterfly wings, and other forms found in nature.

The lamps became collectibles also in the Arts and Crafts movement when Tiffany incorporated geometry into their creation but eventually fell out of fashion and weren’t produced after 1913. Like all great concepts though, they saw a resurgence in the 1950s and since then have become collector’s items and popular in auction houses, private collections, museums, and for the lucky thrifter: flea markets. Recent purchases have included the above Wisteria Lamp, which sold for more than $1 million. His works remain popular and many a knock-off can be found.

So, let’s think about it.  What do lamps do? They light up a room. They warm up a room. In short, they are light.

The Bible tells us many things about lamps and light. Psalm 119:105 declares “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” as the writer declares to the Lord. Proverbs 6:23 similarly says “For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light” while Luke 8:16-18 talks about the importance of letting your light shine and not holding it in or back.

In this scripture, Jesus emphasizes the importance of not hiding the light of God’s truth and He urges His listeners (and us!) to pay attention to what they hear. Boy is this timely! In short, the verse reminds us of the importance of authenticity and integrity. Perhaps the reference to letting our light shine means being our true selves and living in an open, honest, and genuine way while radiating and shining positivity and goodness.

As to hidden things coming to light, Luke brings to light the concept of accountability and transparency and suggest secrets or deceitful actions can’t and won’t remain hidden forever. Eventually all will be exposed. In reading this, we should hear the message that we ought to act with sincerity and honesty as the truth will always eventually come to light.

Going back to Psalm 119, the word “lamp” is “ner” in the original Hebrew and referred to a small clay lantern. The psalmist compared it to the Word of God being a lamp he could carry on his journey to keep him on the right path and not off course. We learn that just as a lamp brightens a path, the light of God’s word gives us the light and lit direction to traverse this world.

Not only do these lamps and lanterns light our way, Proverbs reminds us that the advice we should be taking is not that of random counselors, viral podcasters, or out-of-touch celebrities but rather the rock solid truth of His word when it comes to navigating difficult moral choices in our dark and fallen word. Yes, counselors and podcasters can have positive and helpful advice, but the best advice comes from the Book.

2 Peter 1:19 provides the direction we need and remind us that “we also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable and you will do well to pay attention to it as to a light shining in a dark place.”

All these scriptures and parables are messages that a lamp does indeed give light, but not just for itself. We see things with the shedding of light. By living with integrity and honor, we shed light on others and can illuminate what is beautiful and reveal what is ugly.

So, whether your lamp is Tiffany or TJ Maxx, be a beacon. A beacon of light in a world that so desperately needs it. Shine brightly my friends.