Words of encouragement

Peace is not just for the sake of peace; it also creates a bond between the parties seeking peace. Bring it on!

Peace,

A Blurb and a List

Here's an excerpt from "Cutting for Stone," a book I'm reading by Abraham Verghese:

By midmorning, when we return from our first Bungalow-to-Casualty-to-Women's Ward-to-Front Gate excursion, with Koochooloo as our bodyguard, the kitchen is alive. Steam rises in plumes as Almaz clangs lids on and off the pots. The silver weight on the pressure cooker jiggles and whistles. Almaz's sure hands chop onions, tomatoes, and fresh coriander, making hillocks that dwarf the tiny mounds of ginger and garlic. She keeps a palette of spices nearby: curry leaves, turmeric, dry coriander, cloves, cinnamon, mustard seed, chili powder, all in tiny stainless-steel bowls within a large mother platter. A mad alchemist, she throws a pinch of this, a fistful of that, then wets her fingers and flings that moisture into the mortar. She pounds with the pestle, the wet, crunchy thunk, thunk soon changes to the sound of stone on stone.

Mustard seeds explode in the hot oil. She holds a lid over the pan to fend off the missiles. Rat-a-tat! like hail on a tin roof. She adds the cumin seeds, which sizzle, darken, and crackle. A dry, fragrant smoke chases out the mustard scent. Only then are the onions added, handfuls of them, and now the sound is that of life being spawned in a primordial fire.

This is probably one of the most well-written passages I've read in a long time. I feel like I'm right there in the kitchen, smelling the smells, and worrying about being splattered by hot oil. I had to re-read it several times last night, just to absorb the whole experience. It was a similar experience to the part in Ratatouille when Remy & Linguine are cruising around the kitchen, really in the groove. Except this is a book, not a movie—it's rare for a book to evoke that kind of response for me. Amazing.

*****

I just read this post by Shaun Groves about an exercise they did while learning about adopting. Challenging, convicting, inspiring.

Here's what my list looks like:
Rob
Christ-follower
Family
American
Knowledge
Home
Cultural Information
Resources
Values
Creating

I'm not sure I can get to the second round of cuts. If I don't have a place to call home, or if I'm not able to create, I kind of become a crazy person. If pressed, though, I guess I'd cross off "creating" and "home" next. And if I'm honest, part of me wants to cross off "values" (which represents my faith on this list) before "home."

What things are left on your list? Could you get down to four?

Peace,

Work-in-progress Wednesday

It's Wednesday. And I can't think of anything to blog, so maybe a theme will help me out. So, here's what I'm working on:

In a word, it's my future.

Or a giraffe.

More later, after I overcome my fear of failure. ;-)

Happy Wednesday!

Peace,

Words of encouragement

I needed to be reminded. He's provided in the past, and He will provide in the future. So for now, I wait.

Peace,

Happy New Year!

A great verse to get the year started off right:

Here's to the upward call!

Peace,

The one about jealousy

So, I have this problem. It’s called Blogs.

I follow a ton of really wonderful blogs. Most of them are written by women who are about my age. And they’re really creative! They cook, they craft, they have great style. I find them very inspiring.

But I also find myself becoming resentful sometimes. Or maybe just jealous. Is there a difference between the two?

In any case, I find myself thinking, “They’re living MY life! They’re doing what I wish I could do!!”

Sometimes this causes me to get up off my couch and go make some change in my life, be it crafting something awesome, finding a way to use what I have to reorganize or redecorate my house, or whatever.

But, more often than not, I just sit and marvel at how these other girls in their late 20s are living their dreams, and I get frustrated that I’m not.

I’m intimated.

I’m fearful.

I want to do something creative and awesome and not be tied down by someone else’s rules. But I don’t know where to start. I have a grand image of what it might look like in the end, but I don’t know how to get there.

Someday I’ll figure out what I want to do with my life. In the meantime...

Peace,

The one where I stack wood and discuss middle-child syndrome

This is how I spent my Saturday this weekend.

Forgive my sweatpants. It was early. Like 9:00 a.m.

Well, Saturday morning. I spent the rest of the day on my computer and phone planning a super-fun monkey-themed baby shower for one of my dearest friends. ;)

But anyway, Rob and I received a cord of wood to burn in our cast-iron stove. And we had to stack it all ourselves.

As the two men who delivered the wood were tossing it off their trailer into our front yard, I posted on Facebook, “Stacking a cord of wood. It's weird to me to have wood delivered.”

To which my big brother said, “What are you talking about? You grew up having it delivered. Except then it was delivered by your dad and brothers to the back door.” And my little brother “liked” it.

And I said, “Hey! I helped. Once.” I can’t help it if I’m the princess.

But of course my brothers would gang up to pick on the MIDDLE CHILD!! This has been going on since we were little.

It’s true, though. Generally, it was my brothers out in the woods helping my Dad cut down the tree, chainsaw it to the correct length, split it into pieces that fit the fireplace, then stack and haul and stack and haul. I might go out occasionally. Not to take them coffee or hot chocolate. Nope, not me. That would be too nice. I just went to watch a little and maybe play with the cat that thinks it’s a dog named Marcus.

Sometimes it payed off being the only girl. ;)

And P.S. I happen to know that my Dad already has a day of work in woods planned while we're all home for Thanksgiving, so that he, Big Brother, Little Brother (who is 6’, by the way. But Big Brother is 6’2”, so it still works), and Husband can “do the manly bonding.” {Name that movie.} Maybe this time I'll take them something hot to drink. ;)

Peace,