Archive for November, 2015
Advent: A Season of Hope
Key 7: Let go of the past; embrace the future. Throughout November I focused on gratitude. Now I want to turn my attention to hope and anticipation. It’s a natural progression, for the connection between gratitude and hope is strong. Without gratitude for the past and the present, we will…
Wishing You a Blessed Thanksgiving
Almost immediately after Lev’s death, I began to worry about the Holidays, more than seven months away. Having always loved everything about Christmas—the tree, carols, presents, cards, cookies, candies and lavish meals—I did not want to lose that too. How could I move from loss and grief to the joy…
Reminders of Jean: Pumpkin Bread & Forgotten Cookies
Jean Storm was one of the saints of First Baptist Church, Corpus Christi; wife of Lev’s long-time partner and friend-like-a-brother Ralph Storm; mother of Susan and Kathy; grandmother to Morgan, Sarah, Julia, David and Mary. And my friend. I counted myself blessed to be on the receiving end of the…
Extending and Accepting Hospitality
Key 6: Welcome others; be hospitable. A native son was returning home to Philippi, and the Apostle Paul–writing from his prison cell in Rome–instructed this small, struggling group of Christians to welcome Epaphroditus with joy. From beginning to end, the Bible is full of injunctions to be welcoming and hospitable….
A New Spin on Thanksgiving Dinner
Holidays are not easy when there is an empty chair at the table. Families must learn how to “do” Thanksgiving, and sometimes it seems easier to abandon traditions rather than be reminded of what (who) is missing. But in 2014, our family finally got it right. The Dallas clan came…
Cranberries: For Sauce and for Breakfast
Cranberries date back to the Pilgrims. One can imagine that the Indians brought them to that first Thanksgiving meal in 1620. Having now visited Nantucket for three consecutive summers, eating chocolate covered cranberries and imagining autumn, when the island turns red from the cranberry bogs, I appreciate cranberries more than…