A bowl of soup with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.– Proverbs 15:17 (NLT)
I’ve been crazy busy in the kitchen these days. Trying to get ahead of the appetites in our household is part of what is spurring me on, but the other piece of motivation is my own innate desire to be creative. Continue reading “A bowl of soup”
I thought it might be inspiring if our family had a word for the new year, something that might define us, guide us, challenge us in our choices and our journey. So, I offered the idea to my clan (1 husband, 3 boys and 2 girls). I explained the intent and their minds began to ponder the possibilities. Continue reading “A Word for the New Year”
Just outside my family room window is a wonderfully fragrant shrub. It blooms in early spring and its potent scent can catch you by surprise when you walk up to my front door. You find yourself Continue reading “Aroma”
A dear friend of mine, recently moved from the gentle, low-lying land of the Tidewater Region to the rugged landscape of the Alleghenies. The words of the Psalmist speak to her in this place, I lift up my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from?” Reminding her, “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. -Psalm 121:1-2 How … Continue reading Mountaintops
A few Fridays a month my daughters and I attend story time at our local library. It’s a brief twenty minute experience that includes a couple of songs, a finger-play, several stories and a craft. But what is really interesting about story time are the people who come.
There’s Shane who brings a bag of Duplos and dumps them on the floor, so he can throw them around while he listens. Continue reading “Storytime”
She journeyed 1,000 miles to visit me in the peak of summer when the tomatoes were ripe and full, butter beans popping their hulls, and corn fresh and sweet. I had learned so much from her as a child – how to use my hands, how to sew, cook, wash a dish and set a table. It was a special treat having her for a … Continue reading Bread
It’s a simple thing. Really. Most nights before we climb the stairs for an evening’s rest we gather together as a family and share our joys. We’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. And most nights the joys are quite demure – chocolate chip pancakes, a game won, a good test grade, a friend to play. I’m thankful for this moment. … Continue reading Rejoice!
Not so long ago, I found myself feeling out of sorts with a new acquaintance. I hadn’t heard from her and the deadline for the event we were working on had come and gone. It was her turn to step into the conversation, but she was silent. My mind began racing with all sorts of ideas about what had gone wrong. But thank goodness the … Continue reading Reach Out
I have vivid memories from my childhood in the Mississippi Delta of the sight and smell of ashes, of looking out across open fields and seeing flames and smoke in the distance, of running my bare hand over the hood of a car and picking-up ash. My father and other farmers in the area would once a year burn their fields to clear the remainder … Continue reading Ashes…
Only eight years old, his head was bent low over the paper as he struggled with the numbers. Some things came easy. Some things did not. This was one of those things. I worked quietly in the room, waiting, when with a soft voice and eyes blinking back tears he said, “I just need a little encouragement.” Encouragement? Don’t we all need a little encouragement? … Continue reading Encourage
Florence Brooks 