Come to your senses

Recently I have been thinking how we are made by the Lord with distinct senses. Seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, tasting...these are all gifts from Him. Many times in our Western Christianity we focus on worshipping Him and knowing Him solely through our minds...and yet can we come to experience even more of the beauty and goodness of God through our senses?

Isn't it interesting that when someone is blind they can usually hear and feel really well? Those senses are honed and sharpened in the absence of sight. When weak in one of the senses, the blind or deaf are very strong in another. My husband Mike has 20/20 vision and acute hearing but can hardly smell a thing. I have horrible vision, listen to music or TV very loudly, and yet my sniffer picks up any scent within 20 yards of me and am also very sensitive to textures!

All of this to say, each one of us has been given sharp senses for perceiving and understanding and enjoying our worlds. When I realized how sensitive I am to odors, I began to remove chemical-based scents (in the form of cleaners, perfumes, candles/potpourri) from my home. Most all of that stuff just gives me crazy headaches. I was lamenting the fact that I can't seem to enjoy scents except the wonderful smells of food cooking. But now I am learning about the beauty of essential oils/aromatherapy for fragrance, am headache-free, and am enjoying the intoxication of these amazing odors.

God made me to enjoy smells and now I smell deeply of lavender and am soothed. I am learning that God has made amazing scents that are all-natural and leave us feeling refreshed, invigorated, relaxed, happy, etc. I love 2 Corinthians 2 where Paul says we are "the aroma of Christ"! We spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. God loves smell-good stuff :)

Similarily, soft classical music allows me to worship quietly. Big Band Swing makes me thankful to be alive. And country just makes me fall in love with Mike all over again. The sounds of nature quiet my restless heart. My children's laughter gives joy. Isn't it amazing what sounds can do and that they can lead us to deeper intimacy and worship and "thank You"?

And what about our sight? We can gaze on the beauty of creation...another sunset awaits me this evening as it sets over the big beautiful lake. And I will respond, "thank You for your grandeur".

And touch? I will hold my chubby baby's hand and rub his head and say, "thank you Jesus for big gifts in small packages".

And I can't wait to taste some delicious fondue tomorrow night with some dear friends that are getting ready to head out on new adventures. That will move me again to say "thank you Lord for true friends".

Let's meet Jesus in a fresh way through our senses. Worship through seeing new art (maybe your child's drawing!), listening to some fresh tunes, sniffing some hot tea or an aromatherapy candle, touching someone through a big bear hug, or tasting a ripened strawberry. These are all natural gifts from Him by which we can return thanks to Him.

Enjoy sensing His presence today.

Super Clothesline!

In my entry Spring Green, I mentioned that I have a summer goal to install a clothesline...voila!
Last night I bought a retractable clothesline and Mike hooked it up between our fence and a tree. The children and I spent the morning hanging our first batch of clean clothes. I hadn't done this in a loooonnnggg time, and it was so lovely to take this "chore" time to nurture my children not to mention our clothing.

The air was cool. We were all dancing around. We had time to talk. I instructed. They learned. We talked about the "whys". Sam wants to sell the dryer. I said "no way!" :) It was a time of togetherness and family-ness that was precious to me.

Simple living gives us the time to breathe, to take time to care, and to connect in everyday acts. Who knew that doing the laundry could be such a fun family time? It caused me to slow down, be mindful, and to live life in a fresh way. What started out as a desire to live more "green" became a pathway to sweeter relationships and a clearer soul. All that for just $14.95.

Crunchy Genes

Some things just come full circle. I grew up in a small southern conservative town and I learned pretty quickly that my folks were different from the rest. My dad was the only "flaming liberal" I knew and I would cringe when he would drive in to pick me up from my private Christian school. Why?? His unbelievable array of bumper stickers!

Sierra Club. Greenpeace. Amnesty International. ACLU. Local and national Democratic nominees. Boy would I get the stares. But I secretly admired the fact that he lived swimming strongly against the small-town cultural flow and did not care what others (who he deemed as the "narrow-minded") thought about him. He gave money to and employed the poor. He came to the rescue of drug-addicts who worked for him. He took African-Americans to register to vote. He gave lesbians jobs. He was, as my mother noted in his eulogy, an iconoclast...one who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions. Synonyms include nonconformist, rebel, dissenter, and radical.

Both my parents took great interest in social justice and care for the down-and-out. My mother's closest friends were African-American women. She helped a woman with cancer in the last months of her life. She moved in and took care of one of her dearest friends as she looked death in the eye. She counseled the hurting, the suicidal, the divorced, and spiritually-searching women and sought to give them Jesus as the answer to their lives. She has always had compassion and her walk with the Lord has shown most brightly through her selfless acts of service.

Idealistic parents from opposing ends of the religious spectrum yet bound together in many ways by common causes and getting down to what things are really important in life.

I am the blend. I love Jesus deeply, and through years of deeply wounding spiritual abuse want to serve and love the hurting through grace, mercy, love and compassion. If I can work with Him to loosen spiritual chains in other believers then I will rejoice. Yet I also have this crunchy environmental side that loves nature, holistic living, and things that in evangelical circles seem "radical" and non-conforming. I want to see believers recognize that the Lord cares for His environment and has given us beautiful means and whole answers to our most basic needs and desires for abundant living. A Jesus-loving iconclast?

So I have come full-circle and put the bumper stickers on the mini-van. A mommy full of traditional conservative values yet radical in lifestyle. Will my kids be embarrassed one day by my bumper statements? Maybe, but I think they too will realize that being different is in the genes.

Real Sanctuary Get-Aways

Andrea and I have had many discussions with many other mamas about finding time, space and place for solitude and a respite for renewal, focus, and intimacy in our relationships with Jesus.

Just two evenings ago, this discussion was still active in my mind as I was casually reading a book on simple living. I came to a section that suggests every person take time away for a weekend each year to a local "sanctuary"! And it gave this wonderful resource for finding monasteries, abbeys, and retreat centers in your area that are open for people to come stay for a night, weekend, or even weeks to renew and rest.

I found the book in my library today (in the reference section so I couldn't borrow it!), and I made photocopies of places here in South Carolina and Georgia to visit. So I am planning my get-away for this fall and I hope you will consider doing the same! Much less expensive than a hotel, meals are usually included, and many seem to have quiet, peaceful, and beautiful grounds/nature trails/ etc....not to mention a spiritual atmosphere conducive to trysting with the Lord.

Pretty cool that the Lord brought this resource along when this was on many mama's hearts these days. Hope that you will find a sanctuary near you and enjoy!

Books, Books and More Books!

Oh my goodness! I have been on a book frenzy lately! We found a new-to-us used bookstore and OF COURSE I had to buy a few. Picked up a couple of more from the thrift store. I read the "Natural Baby Care" book and it is a wonderful primer on using aromatherapy/essential oils which was exactly what I have been wanting to learn about for the past month!

Last night I had my Mom Monday Night out and spent part of my time at the library. Without having the children with me I was able to take my time and leisurely browse...which then led to an absolutely excessive amount of books borrowed!

Here are this week's library finds by topic!

GREEN LIVING/GARDENING:

• A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet's Future by Roger S. Gottlieb
• The Organic Suburbanite: An Environmentally Friendly Way to Live the American Dream by Warren Schultz (I started reading this last night and it's a wonderful book if you are on the beginning of your green journey. Easy to read, fun, great recipes, and cover topics including your kitchen, laundry, bed/bath, shopping, composting, lawn care, gardening, etc)
• Forest Gardening : Cultivating an Edible Landscape by Robert Hart
• If You Like My Apples by Clue Tyler Davis (How to Grow Fruits and Vegetables Organically In Step With Nature)
• Eat More Dirt: Diverting and Instructive Tips for Growing and Tending an Organic Garden by Ellen Sandbeck
  
• A Child's Garden: Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents by Molly Dannenmaier

PARENTING:

• Simplify Your Life With Kids by Elaine St. James
• Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide by Aviva Jill Romm

DECORATING:

• Comfortable Country: Peaceful Homes Inspired by the Country by Enrica Stabile
• Embroidery and Cross-Stitch
  
• New Country Style by Country Home Magazine

CHRISTIAN

• The Suburban Christian by Albert Hsu
• Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith by Eric Jacobsen
• The Jesus of Suburbia by Mike Erre
• Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner (I had read her book "Mudhouse Sabbath" and loved it!)

Am I going to be busy or what?!?!??! Too many books, too little time!
What are you reading this week?

Simply White

I am all about color. My homes have always been drenched with yellow walls and I always gravitate towards any accent that has red in it. These colors just make me feel happy, warm and comfortable. And yet too much of these vibrant colors can make my space feel cluttered or just too visually busy. So in the last few years I have decluttered many colored items that take away from the simplicity of my home, and in their places, I have added the beauty of white.

White is the perfect backdrop for color to really "show off" and it is another form of keeping life simple and less chaotic. Here are some examples of things that I keep "white" in order for color to really be appreciated and to streamline things.

All of our towels in all bathrooms are white. Big fluffy white towels like in a hotel. No figuring out which towels go in which bathrooms or finding the perfect color match for the decor. No fighting over who gets which colored towel. Just simple, soft white towels, hand towels, and washcloths for my linen closet. I love the look...fresh, crisp, and clean. I now enjoy my bathroom decor more because I'm not distracted by the towels.

All of my dinner plates, bowls, and serving pieces are white. I bought the Ashley set from Pier 1 Imports a few years ago and the food just "pops" on a white plate. Notice that restaurants always use white plates because it really shows the beauty of the food and garnishing. I like opening my cabinets and finding the white. I can't imagine using a busy dinnerware pattern again because I so enjoy the visual pleasure of simply prepared food.

And even though stainless is now popular in appliances, just give me white. White appliances seem warm and homey to me. My Kitchen Aid Mixer, food processor, and blender are all white. I like white Corningware and serve condiments in white ramekins. White pitchers are a great collectible to use as vases for beautiful flowers or to fill with freshly squeezed lemonade.

My favorite sheets are my white ones we got when newly married. My duvet cover is now this beautiful white matelasse that I can spice up with colorful pillows and change the look of our room with every season. Each child has a colored pair sheets and a white pair that will last them through the years of different bed coverings and styles.

I love white T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, capris and skirts. Colorful, funky accessories look so great paired with white. I love seeing Mike and the boys in white Polo shirts. All their handsome freckles show up and each peach-toned skin glows!

And my favorite "spruce up the house" trick is white paint. I love touching up trim, baseboards, and doors with white paint. It makes the house look new again and is very addicting! Try it!

So if you are looking for a new way to keep your home simple, add some white into your basics. The beauty of your home treasures will be able to shine brighter and the your organization will be easier. More white, less clutter. More white, more natural beauty. More white!

Garden Goodness

...Thyme began in a garden...


I am a total gardening novice. I don't know much, but I do know I am ready to learn! I love having fresh herbs on hand in the summer for cooking and they always look so friendly in their pots. My daughter Katie and I spent yesterday setting up an outdoor gardening table and planting some herbs in pots...Provence Lavender, Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, and Peppermint. We had so much fun digging our fingers into some Organic Valley top soil and using Bonnie Plants which came in nifty eco-friendly peat pots instead of plastic ones that would be thrown away. We also took some time to plant Nasturtium seeds around one of our trees and in a border near the house. These are a great kid-friendly choice because they require dry ground, minimal care, are edible and pretty too. I am also going to support local nurseries and pick up some annuals to put in pots for the front porch, around the mailbox, and in my old red wheelbarrow.

Mike and I are also very interested in learning to do square foot gardening. Our ground is red clay and I think it would be easier for us to begin learning to garden above ground. This summer we are going to try a salsa garden and plant Roma tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and cilantro. I also love the concept of container gardening. You don't have to have a big yard (or any yard!) to begin...just some pots, soil, seeds and some imagination. If you are an apartment dweller, you can still have fresh herbs in pots and pretty little flowers in a variety of creative containers.

Gardening is such a wonderful thing to do with your children. To be out in the fresh air learning about the Lord's bounty, provision, goodness, and design....to learn patience, perseverance, and the joy of a harvest. Katie and I love flowers and we want to plant many different kinds so that we can grace our dining table with beauty every meal and add color and life to our bedrooms.

The key to keeping anything fresh and fun is to keep it simple. Gardening can seem very overwhelming to those of us who haven't done much of it. Just buy a bag of organic soil at a local nursery or home improvement store, pick up some terracotta pots, and some annual flowers or herbs that have already sprouted and DIG IN!