The correlation between cookie decorating and coping with life

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas -- Life lessons learned through the art of cookie decorating, presented by noted motivational speaker and published author, Janice Henna Thompson. Henna’s cookie decorating class was more about understanding and coping with the seasons of life than actually decorating the cookies, but those in attendance learned the art of both.

Held at Spring Creek Baptist Church, Saturday, August 2, cookies reflecting the four seasons came to life as Thompson spoke about each season of our life, referencing passages from the Book of Nehemiah thought to be written in the second half of the 5th century BC. Not the four seasons as in the aging process, but high and low points of life.

“Fall let’s us know that change is coming, and having the fortitude to confront it,” said Thompson. “Then followed with winter, the dreariest parts of our lives, when we’re dealing with life’s lowest events….deaths of loved ones, divorce, rejection.”

The saying “Hope springs eternal,” couldn’t be more fitting to describe Spring.

“Spring is when we realize the difficult times will pass - a rebirth,” adds Thompson. “And summer is the time when everything is going right with our lives - the good times.”

As the novice cookie decorators applied icing to cookies representing the four seasons, Thompson not only shared her ‘Four Seasons’ message interspersed with Nehemiah’s writings, but also cookie recipes, the various icings and decorations, and decorating tips.

What started out as a hobby for grandchildren and friends, cookie and cake decorating became almost a full-time job, albeit an expensive one. To discourage the number of baking request, Thompson announced that she would have to charge a nominal sum to cover her expenses.

“Instead of request tapering off, that opened up the floodgates,” said Thompson. “Now I’m busier than ever.”

Busy is an understatement. When not baking cakes and cookies, and decorating them, Thompson is under contract to more than one publisher, with a demanding writing schedule. To date, she has written over 100 books, approximately 40 percent have been novels, the rest are what she refers to as ‘Write to Hire’...short devotional books with inspirational themes like joy, love, and even the small desktop calendars with a daily inspirational message. Some written under her married name, others under her maiden name.

“I’ve used my maiden name on many of my books to honor my father,” said Henna Thompson.

How does an accomplished writer like Janice Henna Thompson handle the seasons of her life?

“I write comedy when going through a winter season,” said Thompson. “It lifts me up.”

Thompson relayed a tragic list of events that had occurred simultaneously. She said she just focused on the summers, the high points, to pull her out of the depths of depression.

“Having her four daughters have provided me with a tremendous amount of writing material for comedy novels. It seems that there was always a wedding being planned, so many of my novels are about the comical events surrounding weddings,” said Thompson. “I love to write about weddings,” she added.

Thompson’s relationship with her publishers has extended her talents to reviews and editing, which requires ‘whipping the time management into shape,’ per Thompson.

For tips on decorating cookies, coping with life, and weathering the four seasons, ‘Friend’ Thompson’s Facebook page at the link provided. Her daily posts will keep you entertained, often amused, and you’ll not only learn the art of cookie decorating, but how to cope with life.