Honey Lemon Simple Syrup Meditation

Baking and cooking has always been meditative to me, simply in the task of doing something with my hands, creating something delicious from opposing tastes and textures. Today as I was making my Honey Lemon Syrup, the reflection felt especially healing, so I thought I would share this practice with you.

If you're a tea connoisseur like me, you know the frustration with getting the right mixture of honey or sugar to mix with your tea. Starbucks has a delicious honey blend to add to your tea and it occurred to me that I could make my own simple syrup very easily and just have it on hand to mix and make the perfect tea every time.

As I prepared and mixed together each ingredient, I let my thoughts be guided by this procedure:

1. What are my memories of this item?

2. How is this ingredient used in my culture and others? Now and in history?

3. Where did this ingredient begin and what road has it traveled to get to me?

4. I offer prayers for the impact of this creation in my life and in the life of others.

So, in the making of the Honey Lemon Syrup, first I measure the honey, imagining the bees and the beekeepers, the flowers and the honeycombs. I watch the beauty of the flow of the honey and pray for the sweetness to draw my attention to the sweetness of life.

I measure the water and remember the cleansing and refreshing qualities of water.

I mix the honey and water in the pot on the stove and watch the beauty in the bubbles and swirls.

I begin to prepare the lemons. Lemons always make me think of Amy's weakness for them in Little Women. Such a luxury and "all the rage", lemons have so many uses and delicacies. As I slice and juice the lemons, the fork releases an abundance of liquid and even this seems luxurious to me. I consider how lemon juice can be used for both cleaning and healing. I imagine and pray for this syrup to heal me, so that I might provide opportunities for healing of others. As I grate the rind, the zest gives off a powerful scent and I give thanks for the zest of life.

I mix the lemon juice with the honey and water, and my tastebuds start to imagine the taste. I lift up the hurting and sick in our world, those I know personally and those unknown to me.

Finally I scoop out a third of a cup and add it to 2/3's of a cup of water to test the balance of tartness and lemon. The lemonade like taste takes me back to sunny days and lemonade stands. I consider how one day I will teach Sammi and Abby to make lemonade like this, but for today, this syrup will bring warmth to these cold days.

I let the syrup cool and store it in my beautiful jars, waiting to mix them with my daily tea. The sweetness is prepared for the week. Hmm...how else can I prepare sweet suprised to be discovered?

I hope you'll give this Simple Syrup Meditation a try, if not with syrup, maybe with cookies or tacos, or you could even do this while folding clothes, saying a preparatory prayer for the days you will wear these clothes or thanksgiving for the days come and gone.

If you need a recipe, here you go:

Honey Lemon Simple Syrup Meditation

Ingredients

1 cup of honey

3-6 cups of water(depending on desired level of sweetness)

3-4 lemons juiced and zested(depending on desired level of tartness)

Mindfully prepare and combine each ingredient using these questions as a guide to your thoughts:

1. What are my memories of this item?

2. How is this ingredient used in my culture and others? Now and in history?

3. Where did this ingredient begin and what road has it traveled to get to me?

4. Offer prayers for the impact of this creation in your life and in the life of others.

Bring water and honey to a simmer at medium low heat. Juice and zest lemons using a juicer or slice the lemon sideways in half and twist a fork in the middle. Zest the sides of the rind with a fine grater. Add Juice and zest to the honey water and let simmer for 3-5 minutes. Taste and add ingredients to fit your desired balance of tart and sweet. Allow to cool and strain the seeds and rind from the mixture as you pour the syrup into jars to be stored.