Welcome to Red Tent Living

Welcome to what is slowly unfolding as Red Tent Living!  As you can see our site is under construction and things are not all in order here, which feels like a peek into my life these days.
The idea for Red Tent Living came over cups of coffee, which turned into glasses of Pellegrino, which became glasses of cold sparkly prosecco poured alongside grapes and brie on Libby’s back porch. My daughter Katy, Libby and I were dreaming and talking about new themes for the Red Tent Dinners and the conversation began to include the idea of a place where women could come and share their reflections from the dinner.  Libby mentioned the idea of a blog…Then we imagined including recipes and table setting ideas… Katy suggested Red Tent Living, and my mind went to a magazine.  “RedTentLiving.com,” I exclaimed, “an online magazine!”  Well, we were off and running on the idea for this site that you are now browsing. Southern Living magazine was a staple at my home during the years we lived in San Antonio.  Its beautiful pages gave me ideas for decorating and recipes for my family.  My house never really looked like one of the stylish, well put together, immaculate, and yet inviting spaces spilled across the glossy pages. Red Tent Living isn’t about immaculate, well-kept, perfect spaces.  It is about a creative space with room to breathe and comfortable chairs where you can settle down, pour yourself a cup of coffee and take some moments to wonder about who you are and what it means to reframe your femininity along with some other women doing the same. As I work on my ideas and contributions for the site this month, I am sitting at the island in my kitchen where there are remnants of PB&J from my little girls’ lunch, wine glasses drying from the sparkling moscato Katy and I shared on the porch last night, and a large plastic bowl housing the remains of the mac and cheese my eighteen year old son just finished.  The laundry room is piled high with dirty clothes and wet towels, my dog has the runs and I have no idea what we are having for dinner. And, in the middle of all that chaos I have hydrangea’s from my garden gently peeking over the top of my computer…reminding me that beauty can be found in the middle of the mess. So, again welcome.  More will be coming here over the next six weeks so please keep checking back….we hope you’ll return again and again.

nb Tracy Johnson is a lover of stories and a reluctant dreamer, living by faith that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick but when dreams come true there is a life and joy” (Pro. 13:12).  Married for 26 years, she is mother to five kids.  After nearly a half century of life, she’s feeling like she may know who she is.  Founder of Seized by Hope Ministries, she writes here. &nbsp p