If you ask my mom for her recipe for peanut butter fudge (or anything else) and it sounds vague, don’t be offended. It’s just the way she cooks.

But, don’t be fooled. Her measurements are quite precise. She just has her own unique units of measure.

When she says to use two heaping spoons of peanut butter, she means her specific spoon.

“Which one?” I asked.

“The one I use to make peanut butter fudge,” she said, and she was serious.

“A teaspoon? A tablespoon?”

“Oh, no. It’s bigger than the spoon you’d eat gumbo with, but not nearly as big as a spoon you’d use to make a roux.”

My mom has three such spoons. She used to have more and says that she counts her spoons every few days to be sure they haven’t disappeared.

I cannot imagine what she will do if one ever goes missing.

The last time she cooked fudge at my house, I intended (but forgot) to have her heap the ingredients into a measuring cup so that I’d have the exact measurements.

To this day, I (and everyone else who attempts her recipe with their own spoon) will have a slightly different outcome.

There is one area in which we use the same exact scale. The Word of God is the standard by which we measure life, weigh decisions and define the boundaries we strive to live within.

While we may joke about my mom’s recipes (or my missing cooking gene), I appreciate the love and respect for God, and His standards, that has been instilled in me by my parents. I pray that my children and grandchildren will be able to say the same about me.

Ronny Michel may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.