Moving Day!

Hello all,

I've moved my Why Not? blog to a new site.  If you've subscribed via RSS feed then you'll continue to receive the posts (and should already have received the latest), but if you subscribed via google then this is the last post you'll receive.  Here's a link to the new site: http://florencebrooks.com/ 

Thank you for following.  I always welcome your comments.  Have a joy-filled day.

With joy!
Florence Brooks

Keep At It!

Have you ever felt as if you were just going through the motions? As if all your prayers, all your times of worship, all your acts of devotion left you feeling a little flat. What's one to do in times like these? Abandon these things? Give up? Why not just keep at it? Stay faithful. Trust. Believe. Know. God is very much at work in you and in your life. "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (Philippians 1:6, NLT)

Every. Single. Word.

She shaped the clay and spoke the words

And they hit me hard.

It can’t be true.

Not me. 

Really?

"Words have power. Everyone has said something at some time that has hurt someone," she mused.

I thought. When have I said something that has hurt someone? And the longer I considered the possibility the more I knew it was true. Not intended, but real all the same. Foolish words said in jest or in a rush or simply said, but said all the same. 

Can I go back in time and change all the words? 

Can I just imagine those moments never happened and start fresh tomorrow?  

Start fresh...now?

No.  And yes.  You can’t change the words, but the words can change you.  You can’t change the history, but you can speak today.  Speak now in a new, in a fresh way  - with a wiser heart and a careful thought and a deeper understanding that when you speak there is power in Every. Single. Word.

It's ALL Good...

The land of the abundance. The horn of plenty. The cup that runneth over.

That's life in our culture. We have so much - so much to do, so many opportunities, so many choices. And "it's ALL good!"  Well, maybe not every single thing, but a lot really is...good.   But does that mean we need to partake of it all? Or even try? And does more activity mean more fortuity in the long run. Maybe....not.

A busy life is, or at least can be, a full life. Do you agree? It's challenging to make choices, to discern how family time and individual time is best spent, to articulate what will truly make a difference in your life, to consider what you really need right now versus what you might want? It's even more challenging when your choices seem to be different from the masses. After all, who wants to journey alone? But these are questions worth considering and questions only YOU can answer with God's help. Your unique set of circumstances inform your choices and reveal the path that is right for you. Moreover, only you can discern what truly is God's vision for you and your family. Yes, you can seek input and counsel and insight from others. But it really is your unique life. One can live a lifetime, and yet miss a life well-lived.

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.  (Proverbs 2:1-5 ESV)

Girl's Day 2014

My 9 year old daughter has been lobbying heavily for months for a Girl's Day when we would venture into town sans boys and go wherever our hearts desired. I finally cleared the space on the calendar, made the time and suggested she make her list of stopping points  - Target, Barnes and Noble, lunch at Chick-Fil-A, a ride on the mall train, a visit to Claire's for accessories and a stop by Build-A-Bear. She told me she had been saving her money and had a few items she wanted to look for.  I offered to pick up the tab for lunch. She was delighted! She even invited her little sister to join us. And off we went. It was a marvel. A big smile. Lots of giggles and two joyous little girls. But the magical moment was at lunch. The two girls seated side by side eating their nuggets and french fries, drinking lemonade when the 3-year-old in the midst of nibbling on a fry looked at her big sister, leaned close and casually whispered in her ear, "You're beautiful."  And then she got back to her fries.

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. I Peter 3:3-4 ESV

Be kind

Just a gentle reminder (to myself) that we are blessed with more opportunities to serve each day than we will ever fully realize...

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile. ~ Mother Teresa

Why not make a difference in the lives of others today?  Be kind.

A bowl of soup

A bowl of soup with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.  

Proverbs 15:17 (NLT) 

I've been crazy busy in the kitchen these days.  Trying to get ahead of the appetites in our household is part of what is spurring me on, but the other piece of motivation is my own innate desire to be creative.  In truth this desire keeps my heart literally overwhelmed with ideas and opportunities from knitting to embroidery, gardening, storytelling, decorating, journaling, teaching, singing, writing, seeing friends and the list is endless.  In recent weeks as I've been attempting to gain a little focus with all my ideas, the thought occurred to me that perhaps I could apply my creative desires to a need.  And our household is in a season where the need for food is at an all time high. But not just any food mind you - good, wholesome, nourishing food prepared with care and thought, delight and love.  Here's today's creation, with my adaptations.  In a word - satisfying.   You might find you need some too.

Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup

from Keep it Seasonal by Anne Wayte

1 T olive oil
1/2 lb high quality well seasoned pork, beef or lamb sausage (I used Aidells Italian Style Chicken Sausage - oh, my!! - good stuff.)
1 large white onion, cut into 1/2" dice
1 clove garlic (I used 3 cloves.)
3/4 lb baking potatoes, cut into 1" pieces
1 T chopped fresh sage, rosemary or thyme (I used 1/3 tsp. dried sage.)
4 C chicken or vegetable stock (I made a batch of stock a couple of days ago. I didn't think it was up to par with my usual stock, but it worked for this soup and after I added the kale I decided to add 2 more cups of stock for a total of 6 cups.)
salt and fresh ground black pepper
large handful of kale, trimmed and sliced into thin strips ( I used 2 large handfuls of kale.)

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over med heat. Add the sausage and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside. Discard all but 1 generous tablespoon of the fat remaining in the pan.

Place the pan back on the heat and add the onions. Stir well and saute' until translucent, approzimately 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute for another minute. Add the potatoes stir well and then add the sage and stock. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Slice the sausages into bite-size pieces and add them to the soup. Continue to simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and have started to collapse, approximately 10 minutes. Add the kale and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, until cooked through. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Serve piping hot and with lots of love.

A Word

I thought it might be inspiring if our family had a word for the new year, something that might define us, guide us, challenge us in our choices and our journey.  So, I offered the idea to my clan.  I explained the  intent and their minds began to ponder the possibilities.  I threw some words of my own on the table to get us started - freedom, caring, love, friendship, generosity, hospitality.  They were not impressed.  After careful thought the boys seemed to catch on and offered their best idea.  The 15 year old led the charge - food. The 13 year old had a better idea - feast.  Someone said something about - eating.  They finally agreed on - buffet. They were pleased, buoyed in fact, by their insights. I'm re-thinking this idea. Maybe we don't need a word after all?

Aroma

Just outside my family room window is a wonderfully fragrant shrub. It blooms in early spring and its potent scent can catch you by surprise when you walk up to my front door. You find yourself wondering - where is that aroma coming from? But it doesn't take a curious person long to discover the source.

When people see you, hear you, watch you do they wonder - where is that coming from? What is the source of your thoughts, actions, and daily pursuits? How long would it take someone to discover Whose you are?

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:15

Mountaintops

A dear friend of mine, recently moved from the gentle, low-lying land of the Tidewater Region to the rugged landscape of the Alleghenies. The words of the Psalmist speak to her in this place, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from?" Reminding her, "My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2)

How blessed she is to have such a poignant reminder that the Lord is close at hand! How is the Lord speaking to you today? Can you see Him?

Story time

A few Fridays a month my daughters and I attend story time at our local library.  It's a brief twenty minute experience that includes a couple of songs, a finger-play, several stories and a craft.  But what is really interesting about story time are the people who come. There's Shane who brings a bag of Duplos and dumps them on the floor, so he can throw them around while he listens.  There's the twin sisters who sit quietly snuggled on their mother's lap.  And there's soon-to-be three-year old Sophie who tells everyone where to sit and if you are lucky, she'll hold your hand.

But the one who really intrigues me is Sophie's grandmother.  She's 71 and looks as if she's in her fifties.  This past Friday we were sitting together working on our Dr. Seuss puppets to commemorate the Seuss fellows birthday when Sophie's grandmother began to admire my daughter's long, brown hair.   "I want to tell you a story,"  she said softly.  And then she began.

When Sophie's grandmother was 9 years old she had long hair -  hair so long she could sit on it.  Her father had died when she was only twenty-eight months old leaving her mother to care for two young daughters.  Over the years her mother had made ends meet by doing bead work and sewing projects for people.  But this particular year as Christmas drew close, the family's resources were quite low.  One day her mother sat her young daughter -  with hair so long you could sit on it -  down on a stool, braided that beautiful long hair and then cut it off just behind her ears.  When she was done she wrapped that braid in tissue paper and took it to down-town Richmond to the doll shop where she sold it for $58.  "It was premium hair," said Sophie's grandmother.  "My mother was able to pay the electric bill, buy my sister a coat, a pair of shoes for me, a coat for herself, get 2 Christmas presents for each of us, and a turkey...all with the money she made from my hair."  
 
Sometimes love requires so much of us.  What is love requiring of you today? 

"Love each other as I have loved you."  John 15:12

Bread

She journeyed 1,000 miles to visit me in the peak of summer when the tomatoes were ripe and full, butter beans popping their hulls, and corn fresh and sweet.  I had learned so much from her as a child -  how to use my hands, how to sew, cook, wash a dish and set a table.  It was a special treat having her for a meal.  And every thought had been given to its preparation - homemade chicken pot pie, fresh cucumber pickle, locally grown tomatoes, butter beans, corn.  I checked the table one last time and then I called her, "Grandmother, dinner is ready." 

She came slowly - her 80 plus years adjusting her pace.  When she was finally situated at the table she took one long look at the feast set before her.  Without hesitating she turned her eyes toward me and said, "Where's the bread?"

"The bread?"  I responded.  "But, Grandmother there's crust on the chicken pie and starch in the beans and the corn..." 

She cut me off.  And with a steady eye she looked at me and stated, "You always should have bread."  Bread?  Yes, bread.  I knew that.  How could I have forgotten?  Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)

Rejoice!

It's a simple thing.  Really.  Most nights before we climb the stairs for an evening's rest we gather together as a family and share our joys.  We've been doing this for as long as I can remember.  And most nights the joys are quite demure -  chocolate chip pancakes, a game won, a good test grade,  a friend to play.  I'm thankful for this moment.  It's simply one more way we rejoice in this gift called life.  I hope you are finding ways to rejoice, to celebrate the oh-so-extraordinary journey God has given you.

Reach Out

Not so long ago, I found myself feeling out of sorts with a new acquaintance. I hadn't heard from her and the deadline for the event we were working on had come and gone. It was her turn to step into the conversation, but she was silent. My mind began racing with all sorts of ideas about what had gone wrong. But thank goodness the Lord helped me quickly move beyond that and urged me to make a move and touch base with her. I did. I sent her an email and left her a phone message to which she responded with these words, "Thank you for reaching out to me." Those 7 words made a big impression on me as I began to ponder how often I might have missed the opportunity to reach out to someone. Maybe there's an opportunity for you today. Why not reach out?

Ashes...

I have a vivid memories from my childhood in the Mississippi Delta of the sight and smell of ashes, of looking  out across open fields and seeing flames and smoke in the distance, of running my bare hand over the hood of a car and picking-up ash.  My father and other farmers in the area would once a year burn their fields to clear the remainder of the old crop and destroy any weeds or seeds.  It was an economical and efficient way to prepare the ground for new growth.  

What if ashes meant for us preparation for something new?    What if ashes meant that we were ready to burn, to get rid of the old junk in our lives, so we could begin fresh?  What if ashes were a sign that we were getting ready for our Lord to claim new ground?

Encourage

Only eight years old, his head was bent low over the paper as he struggled with the numbers. Some things came easy. Some things did not. This was one of those things. I worked quietly in the room, waiting, when with a soft voice and eyes blinking back tears he said, "I just need a little encouragement." Encouragement? Don't we all need a little encouragement? How do you encourage someone? With patience. With kind words. With an affirming presence. With a shift in expectations. With God's help. Let's let the scripture be our guide, Encourage one another and build each other up. (I Thessalonians 5:11)

Make that Call

When the page turned on the calendar we could count on his call. The slow drawl would drift over the phone line, "I just wanted to give y'all a chance to wish me a happy birthday." My father and stepmother would chuckle and sing the familiar song. It became a routine. Something they knew to expect each and every year. They asked him once why he couldn't wait for them to call. And he had an answer, "I just decided I could either sit around and feel sorry for myself or I could pick up the phone and call folks...And you know, it's a funny thing. It makes me happy."

In truth it's a God thing. "Two are better than one....If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NIV) God doesn't want us to live our lives in isolation. Go ahead. Why not make that call?

Wait

Do you ever wonder if God has you on the radar?  Consider this,"One of the chief

needs in our waiting upon God, one of the deepest secrets of its blessedness and

blessing, is a quiet, confident persuasion that it is not in vain.  Have courage

and believe that God will hear and help.  We are waiting on a God who could never

disappoint His people."  (by Andrew Murray in Waiting on God)

Do the Next Thing

Life can be overwhelming. Work, home, health and well being can sometimes present us with more than we can realistically manage in a day or even a season. I've always been inspired by Elisabeth Elliott's story. She recounts how when her husband Jim, a missionary, and several of his colleagues were murdered in South America that she didn't know where to begin. But God infused her heart with God's love and gave her direction through a poem her mother had taught her entitled "Do the Next Thing." So Elisabeth, confident that Christ would show her the way, simply began where she was with the smallest of tasks - feed the baby, prepare the next meal, write a letter. And in time, by God's grace, she moved from despair to hope.


Perhaps, this post finds you in deeper waters than you would prefer. Why not take a breath, give thanks and let God lead you to do the next thing?

Smile

It is much too easy to go through the day without a smile. To become so self-centered, so over-consumed with life's issues that all hopes of a twinkle are extinquished. But it's true you'll do more good with just a little smile than you ever will with self-consumption . Your spouse, your children, your co-workers will benefit in great ways with that one minor seemingly insignificant change. So, why not smile today? Who knows - someone just might smile back ; )