Little Thought #2: Hanging in for Harvest

And let us not grow weary of doing good,

for in due season we will reap,

if we do not give up.

-Galatians 6:9

Don't give up. Keep going. Don't give up.

Especially when it's hard. Especially during dry spells. Especially in times of mourning. Especially during times of testing... times of learning... times of questioning.

Find your faith. Put it in your pocket. Remind yourself you have it. Remind yourself it's real. Pull it out when you need to; examine it. Patch it up when it's battered. Ask for more when it's not enough. Then take it and keep going.

What we're doing today matters. Because in due season - tomorrow, next year, eternity- there will be a harvest. Good or bad, there will be a harvest. There will be bounty. Where there were hard times, there will be triumph. Where there was lack, there will be plenty. Where there was sorrow, there will be joy. Where there was weariness, there will be rest.

The harvest is coming. Can't you feel Him stirring even now? Don't you see Him getting His sickle ready?

Don't give up. I'll hang in here with you until then. -Brin

(Update: There's more from me on this - click Comments below to read. :)

Little Thought #1: Learning Hebrew

I am learning Hebrew. Did I mention it? I think so, but it's been awhile.

In order to speak Hebrew like a native, I'm learning that you have to be okay with spit. And choking. I'll admit - my practice sessions sound more like an MP3 of an angry, choking mule than an American girl trying to learn a new tongue. I'm okay with that. For now. But by Christmas, I want to sound like Moses.

(The one in the Bible. Not Gwyneth Paltrow's son.)

Special toda to Rosetta Stone and my new pal Michael, the most awkward and endearing Hebrew teacher ever. You're right, Michael. If God wrote more than half the Bible in this language, it must be special to Him.

Shalom, dear ones.

Freeman House, Winter 2008

Today I'm dreaming of snowfalls. Of scarves and blankets and roaring fires and bubbling stews. And when I saw this beautiful craft idea, I started crying.

I think it reminded me of Freeman House.

I think it spoke to the comfort I'm yearning for today.

I think I'm going to stock up on candles and jars and make a few of these this week. ...

I watched the sun set from above the clouds this week. Have you ever watched from 32,000 feet as the sun sank to other kingdoms? It stays with you, always.

There's so much on my mind and heart to share with you. So much I've seen the past few months. I try to put words to it all but end up sitting, overwhelmed, in front of the computer. Tomorrow, I tell myself, logging off the internet. Or maybe this weekend.

Or maybe the next.

Happy weekend.  -Brin

Dreaming About Heaven...

When all this is done - the striving, the longing, the hoping, the waiting- I'd like a corner in heaven that looks like this.

Or maybe that. I'll wake each morning to the sound of fluttering angel wings, my Grandfather's laugh, and snatches of melodies from the Throne.

I'll make my bed and walk across the moss, past loved ones and new friends, until I find Jesus... my Savior and my One. Will you take a walk with me? I'll ask, blushing.

And He'll wink. And wrapping His nail-scarred hand around mine, together we'll set off....

(Funny how we don't spend much time thinking about eternity, isn't it, considering it's infinite while our lives here are but a vapor? Photo credit/dream photography by the talented Ditte Isager.)

Photo: Preemptive Love Coalition

(Sob. Laugh. Grin. Wipe eyes. Laugh again. Sob.) Leah is home. Read it and weep.

Again, thank you. -Brin

We live, in fact, in a world starved for

solitude, silence, and privacy;

and therefore starved for meditiation

and true friendship.

-C.S. Lewis

Solitude, silence and privacy - today those words sink into my depths like sparkling rain drops into a puddle. How refreshing that would be today- solitude, silence and privacy. I must be burned out.

God, in this dry and weary land, my heart seeks after You. On days I feel numb... on days I'm listless and I'm tired... remind me You're here. Tell me again You never leave. Give me moments, God, to be in that still, simple, quiet place with You. Touch all of these longings that crave meditation... that yearn for true friendship. Reach for us, God, and meet us where we are today. ...

Leah's Out!

Check on her here.

Another No (Way I'll) Bake Dessert

Stop what you're doing and make this. If you have to leave work, all the better. The sooner you get this in the fridge, the better your day will be. This is that good.

The recipe, tagged "Family Favorite" in August's Martha Stewart Living, is one I can see myself making when I'm 70. It's a keeper. Heat cream, melt chocolate, layer it all in plastic wrap, and forget it in the fridge. When three o'clock hits... when the doorbell rings... when supper plates are cleared, pull it out. Then prepare to cry. This is that good.

I changed up the recipe a little. Instead of using all milk chocolate, I used 11 ounces of milk chocolate chips and 3 ounces of semi-sweet. Not being big on banana, I thinly sliced a small one lengthwise and was skimpy with layering it in. Substituting cinnamon graham crackers for plain seemed a no-brainer. And Cool Whip and chocolate shavings had to top it off. The result? Tears. This is that good.

Yup. No way I'll bake anytime soon...

No (Way I'll) Bake Desserts

I don't do much baking in July. I mean, have you ever been to Texas in high summer? It's a huge oven. With grass.

No bake desserts are the only way to go. The colder the better. The jucier the better. The lighter the better. The less time you have to spend away from the air-conditioning vent, the better.

Hello, Watermelon Cake! Have you picked up the August Martha Stewart Living? Buy or borrow it. I'm keeping my copy forever, it's that good. For this "cake", all you need is a seedless watermelon. And a knife. And a spoon (or a melon baller). Hack out a slab of watermelon, cut it into slices like cake, and top with scooped out balls of more watermelon. Refrigerate until ice cold.

I'm taking this to everything that requires food for the rest of the summer.

I also made the no-bake chocolate pudding/banana/graham cracker thingy. Only I slathered peanut butter between the layers, too. (I'm incorrigible.) It hits the table today. Will definitely report back on that.

Ah, summer. We'll conquer you yet.

Leah Goes to Surgery

Remember this sweetie? She's in Istanbul now, gearing up for heart surgery. Together, we at this humble little blog scraped up $1,200 towards making sure Leah got her potentially life-saving surgery. That's amazing when you think of it. You are amazing when I think of it.

(I say "potentially" because not all the children Preemptive Love Coalition has seen into surgery have made it out. Just saying that makes me gulp and take a deep breath.)

God, we pull on the strings of Your heart. We know You. You're full of compassion, justice, and love. Be with Leah and her family now...

The apples are nearly ready. Coincidentally, I'm hungry for cold, cold cinnamon applesauce this afternoon.

If I could be anywhere right now, I'd be in an apple orchard with my head down, working on this beautiful blanket. I definitely would not be stuck at this tediously boring job with no applesauce or yarn.

Here's to us working girls today. May there be many apple orchards and handmade blankets in our happy futures. -Brin

Naughty Jelly

I made pepper jelly. I made pepper jelly because I love pepper jelly. There's something funny to me about the whole concept of making jelly out of peppers: it comes out acting like green jell-o gone naughty.

One of my favorite meals is this: red potatoes, cornbread and peas. Zipper Cream Peas. I top my peas with a dollop of pepper jelly and am in heaven.

I realize friends to the north feed these peas to their cattle. Cowpeas, they call them. Please don't remind me of this. Down here, these peas sell for $28 a bushel. I would know. I just gave someone $28 for a bushel of them.

For the pea haters among us, pepper jelly also goes great with cream cheese and crackers. But it's very Texas. It should be eaten on a porch while wearing scuffed leather boots.  Just sayin'.

Recipe forthcoming. I still have some naughty jelly tweaking to do, I'm afraid....

I love that verse in Genesis where Jacob is listing off precious things for his sons to take to Joseph in Egypt:

Put some of the best products of the land in your bags, he says, and take them down to the man as a gift —a little balm and a little honey...

A little balm and a little honey. That phrase has always sung to me. Balm and honey... something soothing and something sweet.

This is just a little annoucement that I'll be opening a brand new shop on August first filled with things soothing and sweet. My own website, my own shop. Look for an array of things to add solace to your world, including: organic herb blends. Spiced honeys and jams. Recipes and mixes. Bird seed. Handmade aprons of vintage trim and lace. Handknit cloths. Pretties to catch your eye and strike your fancy. I'm so, so excited about this little corner of my world.

I can't wait to invite you on over.

-Brin

No Wasted Hours

I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand,

and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours.

-Bernard Berenson

 

Trade you a bloom for an hour.

No wasted time or time to waste around here, if you follow me. I'll be back as soon as I can come up for air. -Brin

 Ah, summer,

what power you have to make us suffer and like it.

-Russell Baker

   

Happy Memorial Day. And happy summer.

From one suffering, satisfied country girl to another.  -Brin

And The Winner Is...

...Michelle Turner who donated on April 27.

Congratulations, Michelle!

Goodies for Giving!

I can't put words to how touched I am by your generosity. For Leah. Sweet, precious little Leah who's waiting patiently for a healthy heart. Leah's surgery is on the books for July, and I am deeply touched by those who've given and those who've written with words of hope and prayers for a miracle.

I'll admit to a few tears as I read your emails. Especially when I got to a note from a gal who lost her job six months ago. Times are tough and some days I don't see a way through this, she wrote. But God is good and I have so much to be thankful for. Moments later her donation came through: $20. Letting go of money these days is hard, but letting go of $20 when you're unemployed can be heart wrenching. That kind of selfless giving gets me every time.

Thinking of this heart... this little life a world away... and the stories and the lives and the sacrifices that will merge once this child is out of surgery... leaves me in awe.

Okay. All that said, here's the fun news: we're having a goodies giveaway! I'm crossing my fingers and hoping to raise $1,000 by Monday's close, so to that end, here's the thing: everyone who gives - however they are able - to Leah's New Heart - will be entered into a drawing to win:

1. A year's subscription to Ready Made Magazine
2. Days from the Heart of the Home by Susan Branch
3. A dazzling assortment of notebooks, stickies, and doodle pads

If you've already given to help Leah, your name is already in the drawing. Thank you! If you haven't given, click the ChipIn! button below and you'll automatically be entered to win once your donation arrives. Simple!

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 25th. Good luck! And thank you so much for helping Leah. I love you more than jelly beans.  -Brin

Monograph on May, Photograph of Millie

Millie Out Walking
by Jim

May has been so full and the week days so brutal. I'm staying in a hotel in a strange place, six days a week, pouring over legal documents, Excel spreadsheets and paperwork. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. I do that until it's time to do reports. Or attend meetings. Why are there so many meetings? Oil and gas brokers love meetings. I yawn and tap my pen on my paperwork and mentally bow out, leaving the suits behind as I dream of knitting and pies and sagging clotheslines and picket fences. I don't enjoy this business but am unspeakably grateful for the job. Means to an end, Brin. It's a means to an end.

But the weekends? Saturdays are every bit as sweet as Mondays are brutal. Saturday I started reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and was too delighted for words.

I picked wild blackberries and searched dusty cookbooks for jam recipes, a blackberry tart in mind.

I lay on my back and stared at stars, outlining their heavenly shapes with my finger.

I followed Millie through wildflowers and clover meadows, walking everywhere and nowhere.

And I slept. I put a lace-trimmed case on my pillow and slept the sleep of a child: dreamless, heavy, and deep.

Here's to a mundane month, missing you, and another weekend coming 'round the bend.  -Brin

Learning to Sail...

We must free ourselves of the hope

that the sea will ever rest.

We must learn to sail in high winds.

-Aristotle Onassis

The winds are... high... right now as I take every opportunity to lift the sails and catch the winds of destiny wherever they drive the boat. (My favorite poem.)

See you in a bit. -Brin