An Old Emergence

The peace of a winter lake with pipe in hand is unmatched by any other experience I've had in this life thus far. The woody sweetness of tobacco smoke that floats out of the bowl of my Churchwarden wafts hurriedly away in the brisk December wind. The warmth of the Carolina briar in my hand is my only respite from the bitterness of the abnormally frosty Alabama air. Advent is a time of preparation. Much like preparing a pipe to be lit. It takes time, intentionality. The leaves must be packed just right for maximum flavor, for the oakey goodness to fully release. The flame must pull through the leaves just so for a lasting smoke. Oh how easy it is to find holiness in the mundane if you're willing to look. And yet I'm so guilty of finding the Holy mundane. Refusing to let myself be immersed in the mystery of the Holy Other and instead seeking out otherness and wrapping it in a cloak of holiness. But perhaps both approaches are okay. Maybe otherness and the Other may...

It is hard to believe I am as old as I am when I think back over how quickly the last ten years have passed. It's hard to say much more than that. The holidays, I think, make us even more aware of the passage of time as we grow up and watch traditions change. Now that we have great grandchildren in our family, some of the traditions that went by the wayside as all the cousin grew up and went to college have returned. The cycle of life. The magic of Christmas. #RethinkChristmas

It is fairly common knowledge that I drink tea as though it is necessary for my existence. Which, in fact, it very well may be. I find that drinking a cup of tea makes me stop and reflect. Sometimes those reflections are deep and end with new discoveries about what I believe. Most times, I simply reflect on the events of my day. No matter what though, drinking tea is most certainly a religious experience for me. I love the litany of preparing my teapot, measuring out my tea, letting it sit and steep, and the first pour into whichever of my teacups from which I choose to drink. The whole process reminds me of the liturgy I deeply love in the Christian tradition. And as every cup of tea is different, so are my encounters with the Holy.  James Norwood Platt, a friend of mine and a tea expert once wrote, “Respectfully preparing tea and partaking of it mindfully creates heart-to-heart conviviality, a way to go beyond this world and enter ...

It's the Christmas season around my house...which means I'm cooking and baking a ton. With more parties than are necessary planned, I'm testing out recipes to use. It's interesting to me what traditions and practices I'm most likely to follow from year to year. The clear winner is baking. I'm destined to both cook and eat more than I should over the month of December, and while food is definitely a southern tradition, it definitely borders on gluttony. But our traditions are bound up in the food we eat, from cookies to casseroles. And while we come close to eating ourselves sick, we also participate in the traditions of our family, our heritage. It's a good balance to have to make. #RethinkChristmas