Trappings of the Season
"Baking is love made visible." I've got all the trappings of the season right on my spice rack! Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger! These three spices are for me like the trinity. And then add vanilla - a scent of pure…
Peaceful Comfort
"The place where...with all its dazzle and drumbeat met something softer: homecoming and safety and pure sunbeam comfort." ~ Laini Taylor Maryland Presbyterian Church, the church of my childhood. Returning to it brings warm nostalgic feelings Yesterday on Advent…
A Holiday Adoption
"Compassion is passion with a heart.” ~ Anonymous I swear my son Marc has never met a dog he didn't like. And his dear wife, Meghan, well, she's got a penchant for dogs too. The other day he called -…
Holiday Readiness
Today's writing on SowtheHeart.com is too good not to share. It captures how so many of us feel during the Advent Season as we go about preparing for the holidays. I'd like to thank Maryland Presbyterian Church for posting a…
Immanuel: It’s a Feeling
I remember singing those very verses in my childhood! In the autumn of my life, November still comes with a feeling of binding together and bringing comfort to home and hearth. Hearty feelings of kinship come when the largest contingent…
Life Sustaining Sustenance
“All sorrows are less with bread. ” ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Have you ever had bread so tasty the memory of it has stuck with you for decades? Well I have. The bread was baked frequently by my housemate during a…
Settin’ in Provisions
It is in the heart that the values lie. ~Mark Twain A few weekends ago I played tourist, and visited the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster, Maryland. Seeing historic buildings and replications of farm life as it used to…
What are the Essentials to a Good Life?
"Gathering...It inspires us to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful, in a word, more alive." ~ Alice Walker Remember back when... The general store used to be a place of community gathering? Dry goods were in the same market…
Humble Pie
"Being humble means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become..."Gordon B. Hinckley The other evening my brother's wife was out of town, so I decided to invite him to dinner. No big deal,…
Who’s at the Head?
Our season may turn into a time of growth if you are willing to dig in right where God has you. And for one more! Today would have been my Dad's 93rd birthday, however, both he and my mom passed…