Peace and light.

When I was a child, I attended the church in our small town.  When I say, the church, I mean the only church in our small town.  When I say our small town church was small, you might wonder exactly how small?

Our church was (is) so small, we didn't have our own preacher, we shared one with the neighboring town.

Our church was (is) so small, we had a piano in the church, but no piano player.  One of the ladies in the church would find someone to play the hymns and she would tape them on her little cassette recorder.  During the service, she would cue up the hymn and then fast forward to the next hymn.  The preacher had to stay on schedule or we would all have to wait until the hymn was cued.

Our town was (is) so small, that on 4-H Sunday, the day that our 4-H club would attend one of the member's church services, our preacher would be so excited that he could hardly speak. He actually had an audience!

While the church was small, it was filled with spirit.  The light shining through the stained class windows and the simple alter decorations will forever stay in my mind.  It was the place that first taught me "God."  And, to me, as a young child, God was rays of sunshine through clouds.  I knew this because it was a common image on the front of our church programs.  All through the service, I would look at this large, too good to be true nature photo with scripture and think that this sight must be God, right?  This image is still symbolic for me.

Later, I came to a prayer - Peace and Light.  I pray this prayer often when I am wrapped in fear, grief or sorrow.  Or, on those really powerful moments when all three emotions join together.  Moments like those at the side of my grandparents' beds before they each passed.  I also say this prayer when a loved one needs strength.  I prayed this prayer in earnest when my brother gave the eulogy at my Uncle George's funeral.  Peace and Light.  Strength to endure.  Strength to get through.

When I say this prayer, I think of the rays of sunshine through clouds.  The prayer and this image fit together so perfectly for me.

I am saying this prayer now as my husband and his family say good-bye to their mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother.  My prayer for us is for Peace and Light in a time of grief and sorrow...and a time of celebrating, remembering, and circling together as a family.

Image source:  loadpaper.com

Winter in Kansas

 Our farm still looks like a winter wonderland - well, sort of.

By now, we have trudged over most of the snow and have left footprints.  We have had some melting and a few patches of grass are starting to show through.  It is nowhere near as magical as the first moment when you step out the door and everything is covered in a blanket of pristine snow.  I think it seems so magical because you know that the landscape will never be that perfect again, once you blaze a trail across the yard...at least until the next snow.

Last week, I helped with chores in the morning and was the first to mar up the snowfall.  My husband had sidewalk snow removal duty.

I remembered to tuck my camera into my chore coat pocket and say a silent prayer that the dogs wouldn't knock it out or I wouldn't spill it out bending over to pick up something.

It was cold and quiet and beautiful. The chicken coop door even looked kind of lovely with a little snow resting on the window.

 People often ask how the alpacas handle the cold.  They are much better in the cold than the heat as they have a warm blanket of fiber.  We still take extra care to make sure they have hay and fresh water in the winter.

This year, they didn't like the snow drifts near the barn, so my husband shoveled paths for them from the barn to the hay bunk.  The first morning when the drifts blew high against the fence, the alpacas put on a funny show of first hesitation and then some crazy jumps over and around the drifts.

Just before feeding, we run all of the alpacas out of the barn to set out their food buckets.  They keep watch and jockey for position to be the first through the gate for feeding.  This particular morning, Scout had snow on his face and a lot of hay jammed into his fiber.  What a clown.

Where Women Create Business

 Where Women Create Business is another great magazine from Jo Packham.

Similar to Where Women Create and Where Women Cook, this magazine celebrates women entrepreneurs, crafters, and artists who are making a living doing what they love.

As with the other magazines in this publishing family, I love the photography!  The women and their business that are profiled are inspiring.  The advice for business owners is wise and based on experience.  It was definitely worth the read.

Enjoy this example of one article featuring Design Lab, a beautiful store in Mesa, Arizona.

I love the alphabet wall.  And, did you see the saying on the wall in on the left page?

because life is an experiment

Check out the wall of pillows on the right page.  Love them!

The left page shows their gift basket materials - cool totes, caddies and bins.

  I really like so many things featured on the shelves, including the pins or juggling clubs on the top shelf. Check out the cards in the photo on the left page.

And, this awesomeness is repeated throughout the whole magazine!  I hope you have the chance to enjoy a copy of your own.

Depression-era cookbook

While in Chicago and shopping one of my favorite little stores, P.O.S.H. on State Street, I found another cookbook to add to my collection.  You might know that I was under a self-imposed ban on buying cookbooks and then I broke it twice right before the holidays.  Both cookbooks are great finds and will result in a lot of good recipes and fun times while cooking and baking from their pages.  In the end, I am glad that I broke my rule.

First let me rave about P.O.S.H.  It is a little boutique in a historic building with vintage wares and a European vibe.  The inventory includes vintage hotel glassware, old postcards and maps, new linens, great stationery, and a lot of cute gifts.  We stumbled on this store a year or so ago while walking to one of our favorite restaurants.  We try to stop by when we are in the city.

This cookbook is both about the recipes and the story of the Great Depression.  As you read through the book, you will find sections of food (and a whole section devoted to pickles!) and stories from people who lived through the Depression.  Some stories drive home exactly how tough it was for some families and others share a funny memory or details about life at home, school or church.

The recipes are easy to read and very straight forward.  The style of cooking reminds me of dishes my grandma considered staples in her kitchen.

I really enjoyed reading the cookbook during the flight home.  The stories made this time in our history come alive and the personal accounts were heart warming and heart wrenching at the same time.

My wish for you in 2013

Image source:  http://kerrimaniscalco.com/2011/09/28/dream-dangerously/

Word for 2013

I mentioned in an earlier post that there is some buzz about selecting a word for the new year.  This practice is designed to focus your efforts - to make you intentional around your goals and resolutions.  I shared a great resource from Susannah Conway that helps you identify your word and truly she helps you review the hits and misses from the previous year and refine your vision for the new year.

After spending a lot of time reflecting and reading, I settled on Thanks.  I like this word because it reminds me to be grateful, and heaven knows that I have a lot to be grateful for.  Also, sometimes when I feel stuck, it helps to say, "Thanks."  In a awkward or difficult situation, say, "Thanks." Who will argue with you if you are saying, "Thanks."   I just need to say, "Thanks." more.  I also have two ideas about how to pursue my goal.

1.  I am writing one note a week to a friend or mentor who has helped me.  By January 2014, I will have sent 52 notes to people who are superstars to me and my plan is to thank them specifically and clearly for how they have helped me.

2.  I am completing one act of kindness per week.  By January 2014, I will have completed 52 acts of kindness - random or carefully planned, for strangers or those closest to me.  I think acts of kindness are another way to say, "Thanks."

I am convinced that "Thanks." leads to "Wow."  If you don't believe me, read Help. Thanks. Wow. by Anne Lamott.  And, truthfully, we could all use a little more appreciation and a little more "Wow." in our lives.

If you are working on your plans for the new year, I recommend two blog posts from Tim Elmore.  One post offers ideas about how to review the previous year while the other focuses on planning for the new year.

And, if you need some inspiration, read my friend's blog about how she lost 35 pounds through intentional living. So proud of her!

Great read on faith

I really love a good book.  And, I know it is a good book when it makes me laugh and cry and nod my head in agreement.  I also know it is a good book when I make my husband listen to me read aloud sections.  If it is especially good, I get his attention, hand over the book and tell him where to begin reading because I am too choked up to read it aloud.

While reading Help. Thanks. Wow., I experienced all of the above.  I even told my husband, "I am going to make you love this writer."  It must have worked because he read the book as soon as I was finished.

Anne Lamott has been a favorite author of mine since I read Bird by Bird and Traveling Mercies when I was in college.  These two books were life changing for me.  I shared them with a friend and they have yet to be returned, so I guess she feels the same way.  (By the way, if you are reading this and you are THAT friend, no hard feelings.  Just return the books.  No questions asked.  Or, keep them.  They really are that good.)

So, the book.  Help. Thanks. Wow. outlines three prayers that are the cornerstone of all prayer.  Regardless of your version of God or your relationship with God or membership with a church (or not) or belief system of any form or fashion, these three prayers cover it all.  When I think about it, every prayer I have ever prayed is indeed some more complicated version of one of these three words.

I love reading perspectives from a person who has faith, but recognizes that there is no certainty. There is a warmth and realness in the writing.  As you read, you feel comfort in knowing that someone else wrestles with the same challenges, joys and frustrations of life and faith.

If there ever was a famous person that I wished to be my friend, or cool aunt, or second mom, it's Anne Lamott.

At the beginning of the year, this was the perfect compliment to my planning and reflection.  It provided great inspiration for the coming year.