Peeling Peaches

Peaches, ripe and juicy, are a joy of summer.  The last few summers have been disappointing, peach wise.  But yesterday I found myself staring at  peaches begging to be made into cobbler.  So, I choose five and began to peel them by first putting them in boiling water, then waiting for them to cool before I separated the skin from the flesh of each peach.  My knife pierced the skin and I cleanly lifted it off each peach, except one.  Why?  Because it was still a bit unripe and so it was more difficult to peel. 
I started to think that was similar to people and peeling back our protective skin on our soul.  If we try to make changes in our life before we are ready, it is difficult and you may take away flesh along with skin.  This can cause pain, bleeding, and leave a scar. 
That is why when we need to make changes in our lives, we need to be ripe for the change.  And how does that happen?  I think God prepares us through prayer, confession, Eucharist, service and other people.  Once we are prepared, and God has led us to the next place, the peeling off of the skin is easy.  We separate from whatever we were holding onto and move closer to God's will and His plan for our lives. What we become is always better than before, just like the peaches taste even better as cobbler.
I'll leave you with the peach cobbler recipe.
Peaches, peeled and sliced, enough to fit in a 2 qt baking dish (I use a round pyrex bowl)
1 stick butter,
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup flour
ginger and cinnamon

Put peaches in baking dish, toss with ginger and cinnamon
Melt butter, add sugar, oatmeal, flour and spices
cover peaches with topping
bake at 350 for 35 minutes

Whipped cream or ice cream are optional, personally, the cobbler was perfect warm out of the oven with nothing else added.

Now, I have no recipe for improving your soul, but I will say to be persistent, gentle and wait on God - he'll give you your perfect recipe!