The God of Surprises

My reflection today is based on the desire of Pope Francis that we may cultivate hopefulness, let God surprise us, and live in joy.
I think this year has taught me much about the way God really does surprise me. Each day is full of surprises, if we are attentive to realize how God acts in our lives. I woke up aware of the presence of my own mother and father. That is something that happened several times when I was ill and in isolation, but this is the first time since I have been home. It was a surprise to feel their presence and their love.

Yesterday I had several surprises. One of the nicest was the dinner I cooked for my community. I think I will tell you about it as it is so easy and, although I think I "invented" this dish, I do remember that Gin O'Meara created something similar. I returned home later than I thought I would yesterday afternoon and so quickly assembled on the counter the following: five potatoes, two onions, two large tomatoes, half of a green pepper, half of a red pepper, one zucchini, a bag of grated cheese. I cut and slices all and then added it in layers to a large baking dish: a layer of potatoes, then onions, then tomatoes, then cheese, then peppers and zucchini, then more potatoes, tomatoes, and cheese. I cover and baked this for an hour at 350 - I had some thin chicken breasts that I poached in cooking wine and then cooked a few minutes to brown them a bit on both sides. They were added to the top of the other dish before serving. I had added salt and pepper to both the potatoes and tomatoes but I thought the dish still needed a bit more but all thought it delicious.
I guess this was a surprise from God and I will definitely repeat as it is so easy and only one dish to wash - we have leftovers for today and I suspect they will be even better. I had watermelon for dessert.