cultivating the beautiful ordinary by sharing our tales and our tables
The conversation that evening was sweet, as much a contributor to the celebration as the sumptuous meal and quiet candlelight at a favorite restaurant. My friend wanted to hear what had been significant for me in the year that was finishing and what I was looking forward to in the year ahead. As the evening…
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I’ve learned to anticipate it as a spiritual director. It’s often one of the first comments a new client shares with me, sometimes hesitantly, holding a bit of shame as her voice lowers almost to a whisper. As if what she is about to say mustn’t be overheard, lest God strike her down right then…
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The rain fell blue but quickly ran red as it inflicted wound-like paths across our barren backyard. Rivulets turned to ruts as water coursed in fury over red-dirt clay and gravel. Save for a few chunks of quartz, little else was left in the aftermath of this relentless theft of nature. The topsoil, fallen leaves,…
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I don’t entertain New Year’s resolutions. It’s sort of a combination between my own refusal to think through a year’s worth of commitment and a divinely altruistic motive, knowing that I cannot possibly know the mind of God and what’s in store for me, having given up on my own agenda long ago. Thus, I…
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Getting into gardening these past five years has taught me more about being a human on this earth than most things. My garden offers me a glimpse into the tiniest thrummings of life that crawl among the soil, the way it so delicately and yet boldly holds life and death, and its need for seasons…
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For the month of March the women of Red Tent Living will be exploring the theme, Sowing Seeds. Join us by reading along, and by hosting a group of women at your table for a Red Tent Dinner.
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“A turtle got it,” my dad said to me as I looked with utter devastation at the claw marks on my prized watermelon. I was eight years old and had waited months for my favorite fruit to be ready. Days before I got to cut it open, our neighborhood turtles decided to make it their…
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Lying on a yoga mat, cued by the voice on the recording, I slowly inhale and exhale. I draw my attention to my body, reorienting my mind from a multitude of swirling thoughts to focused attention on my body, my breath, and this moment. Recently I’ve been taking a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course, created…
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Losing Mom brought change on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. There was a change in her eating habits, medication dosing, daily routines. There was a change in her sleep cycles, energy cycles, and tolerance for company. There was a change in her physical ability, emotional capacity, and mental acumen. This was difficult to face, let…
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*The following post contains elements about eating behaviors that could feel triggering. I have been walking around hungry most of my life. Food was just inches away, yet it did not feel like it was accessible. Not to me. This is true because there was so much more that I wanted. I didn’t just want…
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