Buttercups in Bloom

I've been thinking about wine a great deal lately. I don't even really drink wine but I've been thinking about it a lot lately nonetheless. There's two different stories that has really been pressing in on my heart and mind. The first story takes place when Jesus was in Cana having fun at a wedding celebration. He was celebrating with everyone else in the village but then something unthinkable occurred; they ran out of wine.   After his mother sort of twisting his arm, he tells the servants to fill the 6 water jars to the brim.  It took a lot of effort for these men to carry these jars that each held anywhere from 20-30 gallons of water.  It wasn't like us just walking over to the facet and filling the jugs, it was so much harder than that. Filling these jars was a process.  They had to go to the well lower the bucket and then fill these jars one bucket at a time.  It didn't occur within a short minute; no it would have taken them some time to go to the we

When I was a freshman in high school I purchased a brand new pair of Chuck Taylor peach high tops.  I loved them. I rolled down the edges and folded over the 'tongue' of the shoe.  I loved wearing my 'chucks' with my favorite jeans and my button down shirts that were left untucked (which my parents hated).  The reality was that there were not very many kids at my high school wearing jeans and Chuck Taylors back in the day and unfortunately that ended up making a difference for me. I am confident in a lot of things but my sense of style is not one of them.   I was very consequence of my height from the time I was in the 5th grade because it was then that I had  growth spirt and became the tallest girl in the class.  Actually I was very close to the height I am now when I was in the 5th grade. While the world caught up with me over the years that sense of standing out stuck with me.  As a freshman I ate lunch with sophomores and juniors and I remember distinctly th

     Today we spent time in East Nashville at the Annual Tomato Festival. We started going several years ago but unfortunately we haven't been able to go in the past couple of years. Today was one of those days that remind you of what it means to be a community. Community comes in a variety of forms to which we often miss.  This morning the first community began as we walked through KidsFest at East End UMC. It's a truly a community church that welcomes families of all forms.  There was something powerful and magical to see all the strollers literally lined up on the iron fence (I wish I had thought to take a picture of the beauty of all the strollers together).  It was as if the empty/unattended strollers lined along the way sidewalk represented a deep love and joy.  Parents and children playing together and a community embracing them with a love so pure that it couldn't be missed. Local artist bottle caps There was a community of local artist.  Local artis

We've been here on the mountain for a month now and what a ride it has been.  About 20 people worked together spending countless hours preparing our house for our arrival. The community honored us by an afternoon open-house to welcome us into the family.  Four members arrived at our doorstep the first morning to welcome us with a house plant and a gift card to the local grocery story.  Numerous members worked together at ten o'clock at night trying to get us back into our house after we locked ourselves out (partly because we didn't have a working key to the backdoor. Now within the last 8 days we've been filled with moments that have made us feel like we are part of the family.  Last Sunday we joined a group for lunch at Pappa Ron's where we laughed and spent time getting to know our church family.  Tuesday we spent time picking blueberries at one of our member's homes.  It wasn't anything fancy...we simply went out and picked blueberries.  The Bradford

I haven't been here in awhile and yet there is a pull to return and so today is the day! I guess I write for my own well being and the ability to hold on to the good more than anything else. Yesterday we drove to Camp Hopetown ( Daystar Counseling Ministry's summer camp) to celebrate the week Emma had had at camp. Let me just say that Camp Hopetown is just that; a place of God's hope and security.  As we boarded the shuttle I began chatting with the counselor and when we found out we were Emma's parents his immediate response was "ahh.." We gently laughed but he stopped us saying: "She is so loyal.You do not see that it girls her age."  Loyal...that is a great word for Emma because she does love with a depth that others do not and she wants desperately for others to be loyal to her.   As we arrived at Camp she was actually standing there waiting and watching for us.  It was a priceless moment because in the years past she has not been waiting fo