Sometimes a food will bring up nostalgic feelings, this salad always takes me back to a golden time in my life. A time of discovery, growing up, and lingering in the what could be. I loved sitting around Aunt Linda’s island chatting about school, she would check on our hearts, and together we wondered and dreamt about the future. Does food do that to you? I’d love it if you shared!
Today, I give you a snack that could also be used for lunch! Serve it over a bed of greens or on a veggie board along with humus and crackers. I hope you try it and then tuck it in to your go to recipes. You are going to love how it comes together quick and easy!
Ingredients:
12 oz shredded chicken (1 can) 2 green apples diced 1cup of raw almonds 1/4 cup mayo 1/2 tbsp of dry dill salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Begin by gathering all the ingredients to your work space
2. mix all ingredients in a large bowl
3. Serve and enjoy!
4. Can be refrigerated for a day or so, may dry out but just add a bit of mayo to moisten!
La Ensalada de Pollo de Tia Linda
Ingredientes:
12 oz de carne pollo desebrada (una lata) 2 manzanas verde cortadas en cubitos 1 taza de almendras crudas 1/4 taza de mayonesa 1/2 tbsp de eneldo seco (dry dill) sal y pimiento al sabor preferid
Instruciones
1. Comienza recogiendo todos los ingredientes
2. agrega los ingredientes a un tazón y mezcla
3. listo! sirve y disfruta!
4. puedes guardar la ensalada en la refrigeradora por un día, si se seca le puedes añadir un poco de mayonesa!
Buen provecho,
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Oh Covid-19,
Spring is here in its usual SPRING LIKE JASMINE way.
You may feel like you are still blooming
But know that we are PRAYING TOGETHER for your eradication.
I am happy to practice THE ART OF GATHERING again
Especially gathering for the good of others with Noonday
Although, you have caused so much disruption
There is beauty emerging out of the chaos
In these last few years I have been able to GIVE MY CHILD THE WORLD
Through homeschooling and exploring books together
I have also spent more time examining our propensity to live BUSY LIVES that lead to RESTLESS SOULS.
And so I am re-reading ESSENTIALISM as I continue to focus on what truly matters as we long to live a purposeful life.
I am now more than ever convinced that creating is an act of resistance
And so we create and continue ADORNING THE DARK left in your wake.
Although it may seem like I AM ALL OVER THE PLACE
The COMFORT BOOK reminded me that “cooking is the best kind of active meditation” so weekly I practice meditation when I Prep and Pray
This is my active stand in THE RUTHLESS ELIMINATION OF HURRY
With your arrival so much of our normal activities ceased
But we continue the sacred struggle in slowing down
And I long to live free and light WHEN STRIVINGS CEASE.
We learned to live and work from home
We have also learned to live at home with our whole self
Giving thanks for this good body is a new rhythm for me
And I can feel that I am slowly BREAKING FREE FROM BODY SHAME
Even though you meant to ravish our bodies
You don’t get the last word
These bodies are meant for greater purposes
And Black women have beautifully embodied faith
Like they are CARVED IN EBONY showing us all
That “there is a justice in joy” so, CALL US WHAT WE CARRY
Because we are healing through our collective poetry of love
Here I stand to BLESS THE SPACE BETWEEN US
Covid 19 your presence desired to steal our peace
And fill us with anxiety but IN THE NAME OF JESUS
We choose RHYTHMS OF RENEWAL
THIS BEAUTIFUL TRUTH will prevail
We are stepping into Holy Ground
Every small unseen moment is exactly
Where heaven abounds.
Shalom.
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Quiet is how my soul felt after my sister’s visit ended. It was a whirlwind of a weekend. The buzz of excitement and proximity came to a crescendo of togetherness.
There were many things I wanted to do and say but time slipped away as quickly as water through fingers. We left each place and experience already hoping for a next time…
As we sat together eating, remembering, and revisiting places familiar shortened the distance of so many years apart.
The day after their departure I found left overs in the fridge from our time together. I began to prepare them as I do my home made meals, realizing they were a special gift. They were a cord connecting me to a fulfilled longing. I loved that because of these leftovers I was able to linger in their gift of presence. It was their presence that stilled and quieted my soul in peace.
Maybe you are also navigating the murky waters of unfulfilled longings. maybe the waves overpower and you flail breathless and can’t catch a glimpse of the goodness available for you.
I want to remind you today, that you are not alone. I pray for you today. I pray that His gift of presence will supernaturally quiet and still your soul. Let those spaces tender, heal in the presence of Jesus.
As you emerge you will find your heart is ready to be available, present, and to serve wholeheartedly. With out expecting it you will begin to catch glimpses of the goodness specifically placed for you all around.
To share your space with your people is truly a generous gift from above.
Be strengthened with grace and love,
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High up in the sky the sun
the heat rising from the ground
tears close to spill
yet our hearts were tender still
Miracles right from the start
prayer a constant spark
Connecting and strengthening
In the waiting the Lord was growing tiny seeds in the dark
now before me an expanse
that spoke of the glory of God
A smile of miracles seen
blooms into a sparkle in eyes -a deeper knowing of God
High up in the sky the sun
the heat rising from the ground
we enter pastures dresses in beauty all around
beauty of beasts given by the creator
beauty in places that astound
watching, touching, loving,
knowing all this is gift a prayer and a dream
the shade is comfortable we huddle close seeking shade
yet, there’s more
this was beautiful and healing
and yet more He has in store
an Elijah moment before me
in the stillness of the day
the heat rising and oppressive
we see the winds pick up
the branches sway and dance to rhythm the powerful breezes relay
stronger and stronger lifting dust and leaves
Lifting and twisting in powerful air
the openness now seems dangerous
But surprisingly it comforts us
just as our hearts began to quake
And we looked around for shelter and escape
a cold breeze on our skin the wind becomes breeze
ushering a new coolness
ushering peace that surpasses understanding
the evening turns into a sweet haven
a whisper of promises from heaven.
a gentle breeze cool
a heart poised to hear
a tender caress from father God whispers,
“ I see you, I hear you I am yours and you are my delight”
High up in the sky the sun
below the daughters of the Son
a Lord who comes close
heaven caresses wind blown hair sweet
now praises rise from the ground
It’s been a year since my grandmother went to heaven. I still as if just yesterday I stood beside her bed and read Psalm 91 over her. Loving her my whole life has been one of my greatest blessings. From the moment she first held my hand to walk to town in Honduras to the moment she last held my hand at her table I knew I was loved. I’m so glad that my children also got to hold her hand because I know they felt the true and peaceful love only she could give. I will continue to remember her in the flowers, in the quiet afternoon coffee time, and in prayer. This year when I see new life grow in the garden I remember that she is whole, new, and full of life too. Te amo, Abuela.
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Farewells can be hard but they can also be hopefull encounters that help us prepare for new beginnings. This small offering from our hearts to you was a labor of love. Although we must say goodbye for now we trust that you are not alone and so we bless you today in love.
Hi friends, what an honor to be back with you and yet a bittersweet moment of Farewell. For this is our last episode for now. With open hands we held this offering of being a companion to you as we navigate a new way of schooling. We have loved helping you find refreshment in the Lord and giving you a practical step to help you learn alongside your children. This small offering from our hearts to you was a labor of love.
We pray that your hearts will be strengthened by the Grace that Is in Christ Jesus. Although, we can not walk the rest of the way with you, we pray that you know that He walks with you- always. You are carried by Him and he remains your glory and the lifter of your head.
Friends, if like me this year has been a year of shedding and letting go for you, I pray that your heart will be sustained by his grace. I pray that His love for you will come and settle your aching heart. I pray that your eyes will remain fixed on Him as you experience his generosity towards you.
One thing I do know for sure and “ this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion, “ Says my soul, “ therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:21-24
So, once again I invite you to prayer. I am very aware of my forgetfulness and my self reliance and through prayer I can shed those and lean on his grace. I love this passage from the New Morning Mercies Devotional from Nov. 13th “ Real prayer is prayed in an attitude of what the Puritans called /importunity/, which is the condition of being troublesome or persistent because of a deep sense of urgency. It means being frightened into crying out for help. It is a condition of heart that is only there as the result of grace. It’s grace that causes you to acknowledge your sin. It’s grace that causes you to be frightened by where that sin can lead you. Its grace that opens your heart to the help that only God can give. Real prayer is motivated by that grace acknowledges your need for that grace. Prayer isn’t an announcement of personal righteousness, but a cry for help that rests in the righteousness of another, (Jesus) . Have you prayed today?”
So, what does this have to do with HopeFull Homeschooling? Everything. I am not called to carry all that comes with homeschooling but instead to bring it to Him and he will carry it for me. I am called to fix my eyes on Him and let him transform my heart as he shepherds both me and my children.
And iI leave you with the words of John o’Donahue, “ And so may a slow wind work these words Of love around you’, An invisible cloak To mind your life.” And I add alongside our friend Jesus.
What’s next? Find us on our Facebook group we will be posting there our next steps. There is a stirring in my heart as advent approaches and the Lord is birthing new things to keep us filled with His hope. Come and see!
Scripture So, I bless you with this scripture today. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26
Play, whether it occurs indoors or outdoors, is an integral way that our children experience and learn how to navigate the world in which they live. Daisy and Rachel discuss how play, particularly outdoors, has impacted their families in recent seasons.
Setting down the schoolbooks, throwing out the schedule, yielding control, and giving children ownership over their education and lives, can result in some absolutely lovely surprises and heavenly reminders.
When all the Things converge–a bad mood, a lack of sleep, a dog that vomits, children who didn’t do their homework–Rachel rises (though, not by choice) in the middle of the night to muse and meet with the Lord, reminding herself (and hopefully, you) that you are never alone.
This week, we take a moment to reflect on the past few weeks of homeschooling, on lessons learned, and on the value of considering what we can put down. As we move “further up and further in” to the academic year, we encourage homeschooling parents to take time to sit with some reflective questions, alongside their children, and in the presence of the Lord–putting down shame and guilt, filling the bucket one drop at a time, and numbering our days so that the Lord will establish the work of our hands.
Some days, homeschooling feels just too hard: tempers flare, children fuss, teaching a 7 year old to read is more difficult than you ever expected–and let’s not even mention algebra and your freshman. It feels as if you never get a moment to yourself. And you haven’t even touched the grading yet. Maybe financial burdens, illness, or marital strife are thwarting your attempts at even getting to the school books, and it’s all you can do to keep kids focused on homework let alone make it feel like an idyllic and cozy family scene. What is going on? And, more importantly, how can you fix it before you throw in the towel altogether?
Daisy F. Dronen 