Wine bottles stand empty on the counter… Corks lay strewn across the bar… The effervescent sound of champagne uncorked on a summer’s evening has ceased. Guests greedy for love, life and laughter have drunk the plump fruits offered by the hearty reds. Wine glasses sit on the tables, their empty bowls a memorial to an evening of joy. The sound of…
Discovering Belovedness isn’t always easy. I was so nervous. We had friends coming around for dinner and we had to resolve some communication that had gone wrong. I love these friends. When I think of the word beloved I put these friends in that basket…dearly loved. Hurry often steals understanding. So we had invited our friends around for a meal…
I can’t believe A decade of saying, “I Do” has passed. Who would have thought our little dream would find its way. Eleven years ago some friends and I sat around a table and together we began to imagine… We imagined a church that delighted in marrying people, where we danced and jumped up and down with joy. Where we sang out…
It is easy to settle for Lesser versions of Friendship. When Tim and I went to India to spend time with with our good friend Jossy it felt good. It felt good to champion what he and Jenny had built since the last time I had visited. I loved seeing how little mustard seeds of faith had grown into great…
This really is the most wonderful time of the year. Everything I love about life happens this time of the year. The house expands as friends and family come and go. We eat lots of food – fresh food, left over food, naughty and nice. The house is full with children giggling, the banter of teenagers and young adults. I…
The Invitation to Love the other I will never forget the day when Tim came home with an invitation to go to India to meet with leaders from around the globe who were trying to love the other. Love is easy when I mix with people who are like me, who share my mind, who share my values, and who want to play and…
Middles You don’t know what the story is all about when you are in the middle of it. When you are at the beginning of your journey there can be excitement, anticipation, and hope. A deep longing for better, for good. When you are at the end of your journey there is often wisdom, gratefulness, resolution and you know where the…
I hate it when I feel rejection. When grace is needed but all I offer is rejection. I hate what it does to my insides. My mind races with conversations, sentences, comebacks and clever lines. I want to point the finger but am aware that pointing back at me are four other fingers each saying, “You’ve done it too.” I wish I…
Sometimes cooking isn’t good for my soul. I love preparing food for the table. That moment when I put out the chopping board and start to dice onions and chop up vegetables calms me and helps relaxes me. I love cooking for people I love. But sometimes I find my soul stretched and frazzled and in those moments feeding souls becomes problematic. Food…
One of the most important things I have learned about mothering was to give Mumma’s Invitation to all hearts. My earliest memories of my mother are of the table. Of her inviting new and old friends , big kids and little kids, family and loved ones to the table. We never knew who was going to turn up but…