Tears in the Garden

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Tears in the Garden

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*I wrote this essay in 2013. Praying and planting seeds has become part of my Good Friday ritual since that time. I highly recommend getting out in your garden if possible. God has so many powerful revelations to teach us through His creation.

Here in Michigan, when I plant peas on Good Friday, they ripen right around the Summer Solstice, the first day of Summer. Remembering the sorrow of the planting day makes the sweetness of the peas on a summer day that much more precious.

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Easter Sunday is coming, friends. 

But first, we have to live through Good Friday. 

The older I become, the more emotional I am on Good Friday.  The older I become, the more overwhelmed I am by ultimate sacrifice of Jesus.  The older I become, the more significance I find in simple things.  Like gardening.

Today, I went out to the garden to plant the first seeds of the season and talk to God (we have our best conversations in the garden).  After a bitter, cold spring, the ground finally thawed enough for me to plant peas.  It seemed fitting to me that today would be a good day to plant, a good day to bury seeds that appeared to be dead and dormant, but would soon burst forth with new life. 

The garden beds were ready and waiting, prepared last fall.  After a bit of raking to smooth the soil, I dug shallow furrows and painstakingly began to place the seeds.

And that's when I suddenly found myself with tears streaming down my face, drenching the soil near my hands. Overwhelmed with grief and sorrow.

Each seed I placed in the soil represented my sins.  Too many to count.  I gave those sins names as I placed them in the furrow.  Pride. Judgement.  Hatred.  Complacency.  Lies.  Gossip.  Conceit.  Bitterness.  Unjustified anger.  Covetous Thoughts.  Vanity.  Contempt.  Selfishness.  Lack of concern for my neighbor.

The list went on and on.  I felt broken, dirty, ruined.  Despicable.

After all the seeds were place, I began to bury them.  With each swipe of my hand, the seeds were covered by the soil, no longer visible... just as Jesus came to earth and sacrificed Himself on the cross so He could cover up all my sins. 

My sins.  Not just the sins on the whole world.  He did it for me.  He would have suffered in the same way, even if I was the only human on earth.  And He would have done the same thing for you. 
 

This ugly, wrinkled, insignificant, dead-looking seed will grow.  It will thrive and grow strong, beyond my wildest dreams. It will produce food that will nourish and bring health to my family. 

And it's just the same with my life.  Jesus takes my sin, my ugliness, my weakness when I confess those things and hand them over to Him. He covers them up.

He transforms me into someone who is whole and has purpose.  Someone who brings hope and healing to the world. He does the same for you, friend. Only He can take something so wretched looking and make it beautiful.

As I knelt in the garden, naming and confessing my sins, Jesus covered up all my sins and I left the garden with a clean heart, a clean mind, a clean soul.... ready to grow and thrive for Him, so that I can nourish and feed the souls and bodies of His children. 

I discovered transformation in the garden is not just for plants, but people as well. 

Today I shared tears in the garden with my Savior.  Tear of grief, tears of regret, tears of shame.  Tears that He had to suffer for me.  Tears that He had to weep in a garden too...

Sunday is coming.  Today is a day to mourn, friends, but in two days my heart will be bursting forth with joy and praise.  I hope you'll join me.

Winter Solstice

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Winter Solstice

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December 21 marks the Winter Solstice… and the First Official Day of Winter.

In case you are unfamiliar with the term Winter Solstice, it is the time of year with the shortest amount of daylight and the longest night of the year - 9 hours of sun and 15 hours of darkness (except those of us in Michigan know the days feel even shorter than that because the sun rarely shines in Michigan in the winter!).

It’s opposite is the Summer Solstice (the First Official Day of Summer), which occurs on June 21, exactly 6 months apart. On this day, we observe the longest amount of daylight and the shortest night of the year - 15 hours of sun and 9 hours of darkness.

Before I became a farmer, these 2 dates held no significance for me. Sure, I knew the days were longer in the summer and shorter in the winter, but I never paid close attention to the patterns.

Now… my life and livelihood revolve around these days. My year is planned according to daylight hours and the changing of the seasons.

Once I started to pay attention I was surprised to discover that lots of living things are daylight length sensitive…

• Plants. Did you know that plants need a certain amount of light/darkness on order in bloom? Poinsettias, for example,  need short days/long nights… hence their popularity during the winter.

• Animals. Did you know birds only lay eggs when the daylight hours are long enough? Hence the reason chickens don’t lay eggs (or slow down) in the winter. It’s really starting to cramp my style because I want to make lots of Grandma Hamm’s Peanut Butter Cookies!

• People. Did you know that SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), a type of depression that afflicts many people in northern climates in the winter, is related to lack of light? Yup. I’m one of them.

Many people feel a sense of melancholy, discomfort, restlessness… or maybe even fear during the dark days of the winter.

Gayle Boss, a Grand Rapids, MI based author, describes this haunting feeling powerfully in her Advent book, “All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings”.

According to Boss, those feeling stem back to the days of the early agricultural peoples. In the not so distant past, nearly everyone was intimately connected to the earth and it’s rhythms. Completely and totally dependent on the growing season and the harvest.

After the big fall harvest, it was time to relax and celebrate… but as the days became shorter and the darkness more prevalent, that ancient fear of darkness and death began to creep.

“In December the dark and cold deepen, and our rational minds dismiss it as nothing. We know that on December 21, the winter solstice, the sun will begin it’s return to our sky. But our animal bodies react with dis-ease. We feel, The light - life- is going. Those particularly afflicted know themselves as SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder - suffers. Some of us cope by seizing distractions the marketplace gleefully offers: shopping, parties and more shopping....

...for us also, as for our ancestors, the dark end of the year brings unrest. It is an end. It comes without our asking and makes plain how little of life’s course we control. The uncertainty, we don’t know how to mark. And so it marks us. We feel weighted, gloomy even, and we feel guilty because voices everywhere in myriad ways sing our “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.””

 I have felt this “dis-ease” that Gayle talks about, the guilt of feeling quiet, inward and reserved when the rest of the world seems to be pressing outward - embracing loud music, glitter, and non-stop parties.

I’ve learned to accept my dis-ease and make space to lean into it.

All through Advent, I have a ritual of turning on lights in our windows at dusk, while saying a short prayer “Come, oh come, Immanuel. Push back the darkness.”

It’s a small assurance to me that the days WILL get longer, that He will come to push back the darkness, figuratively… and one day, literally.

But… this IS the season of celebration, after all! As we inch closer to Christmas, my heart begins to lighten.

On the Winter Solstice, December 21, I like to fill my house with people I love and all things warm, cozy and comforting, as we celebrate the day when the darkness no longer reigns… the day that we start moving toward the light.

During our Winter Solstice party, we illuminate the house with only candles and Christmas lights. We serve heavy, warm comfort foods. We feast, we drink, we share warmth, we share light, we share laughs, we share hope for the future.

It’s our way of celebrating that the darkness no longer has power over the light. That even when the darkness seems to be overwhelming, we trust that brighter days are coming.

What a powerful way to prepare our hearts for the Celebration of the Birth of Immanuel, “God with Us”. The solstice fills us with hope, excitement and anticipation.

On the Winter Solstice, we will fill our home with light, love and laughter. We celebrate the power of light over darkness. We rejoice in hope, even when the darkness presses in all around us.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”

- Isaiah 9:2

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P.S. If you don’t have a copy of Gayle’s book, I highly recommend it. Each day is a short reading to prepare for Advent. It’s written for adults, but appropriate for children and families too. In fact, the book is based on Advent reading Gayle wrote for her own children.

I think you’ll love it as much as I do.

Introvert's Guide to Healthy, Happy Holidays

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Introvert’s Guide to Healthy, Happy Holidays

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It’s that time of year.

The time on our farm when we can finally breathe. The time when we can rest. The time when we turn inward.

When my husband John and I were considering starting a farm business way back in 2016, one of our biggest concerns was how I, a hard-core Introvert, would be able to handle to constant stream of visitors, the demands of always being “on”.

When your place of business is also your home, any concept or notion of “privacy” or “personal space” or “down time” is often thrown out the window.

In true Introvert form, being around people for long periods of time has a draining effect on me. When I was a teacher, I loved every moment of teaching, but would literally collapse and want to curl into a ball every day when I was done.

Don’t get me wrong - I LOVE being with people, meeting new faces, making connections! My work brings me so much joy and I truly look forward when I get to meet and greet our farm friends, new and old.

However, I must be VERY intentional about creating time and space afterward to “recharge my batteries” so I don’t burn out and fall to pieces. For example, on mid-summer Saturday afternoons/evenings, after grueling week, you’ll likely find me here:

I need that time and silence as much as the air I breathe. I need a time to refresh and renew (by myself!), after being around groups of people for hours on end.

Maybe you feel the same way. After all, according to Susan Cain, author of “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” (an EXCELLENT read, by the way! I highly recommend it!), at least 50% of the world’s population identifies themselves as Introverts.

Hint: Here is a simple test to determine if you are Extroverted or Introverted. Of course, there are many different factors or situations, but it’s pretty straight forward.

Extroverts: Gain energy from being around other people.
Introverts: Lose energy from being around other people.

On our farm, in order to balance months of being surrounded by people, we find it vital to have the quiet winter months where we can replenish our energy and build up our “reserves” to do it again next season. We call it our “Hibernation Period”.

How to Thrive during the Holidays as an Introvert

As we approach the holidays, the Introverts start to panic a bit.

It’s not that we don’t enjoy being around our family!

It’s simply that social situation drain our limited energy. The constant parties and gatherings, on top of an already busy schedule, can easily push us past our breaking point…. causing stress, anxiety and exhaustion.

I clearly remember one Christmas when our children were very young. We had 5 separate parties/gathering to attend in less than 48 hours. Of course, we went to all of them because we were young ourselves and didn’t know how to say “No” and didn’t want to disappoint anyone.

There was no joy that Christmas. Just exhaustion, stress and crying (mostly me, but the kids were crying too).

Since that year, we’ve worked hard to create healthy boundaries around the holidays, so it can truly be a time of joy and peace.

Even if you are not an Introvert, chance are someone in your family IS, so respecting their needs and limitations is a true gift to them.

Here are a few strategies that can help!

Healthy Holidays for Introverts

1. Know Thyself: Hey, go easy on yourself! There is nothing “wrong” with you. Remember, 50% of people feel the same way you do - they just aren’t talking about it, because the extroverts are ruling the conversations. ;) Ha! Now, don’t use your Introversion as an excuse to sit there like a stick in the mud. You can CERTAINLY learn skills to help you enjoy social situations more… and you might even find yourself looking forward to them! But please… be kind to yourself (and your fellow Introverts!).

2. Keep your hands busy: This is a great trick to keep you calm and collected. Offer to help your host/hostess. Be in charge of kitchen duty. Be in charge of serving. Give yourself a role to stay relaxed. You’ll find that conversation comes more easily and naturally when your hands are busy, instead of sitting around awkwardly. Our family loves to work on puzzles during parties/gatherings. I know - it sounds weird, but it’s become a tradition that everyone looks forward to… and you’ll find all the introverts gathered around the puzzles chatting happily!

3. Minimize stimuli: Many Introverts are more sensitive to stimuli that extroverts. Some, like me, may even fit into the category of HSP’s (Highly Sensitive Persons). Bright lights, loud noises, crowds… all of these can be a nightmare for Introverts. Try to find a quieter, less stimulating place at the party. Move to a different room. Hide in the bathroom for a few minutes to regroup, if needed. Recognize the very real effects of this stimuli, such as: buzzing in ears, increased heart rate, eye twitches, desire to get up and move, feeling as though your brain can’t absorb anything else… which leads us to our next strategy…

4. Have an escape plan: People, if you have kids that need to go to bed or babies that need to nap, use that as your escape plan! Or maybe you have dog that “needs” to be let outside and you need to go home because of that. It’s wise to discuss what time you want to leave with your loved ones, so you know there is an end in sight. Maybe you just go for a short walk or “breather” if you can’t leave quite yet…

5. Practice self care: During the holidays, it’s important to take care of yourself so YOU can be at your best. Prepare yourself. Get enough sleep. Don’t stay up all night on a Netflix binge. Limit alcohol, sugar and caffeine. Make time for exercise or take a walk (by yourself, ideally!).

6. Come prepared: When you are attending a gather that you KNOW will mentally exhaust you (like your spouse’s work party or a party where you don’t know many people), it’s helpful to come prepared with some good open ended questions that will mitigate the awkwardness and get other people to do the talking. ;) Questions such as “What do you like to do in your free time?” or “ How did you meet ______ (the host/hostess of the party)?” or “Tell me about your family!” or “What’s your dream vacation?”.

7. Find Your Safe Person: Remember, 50% of people feel the same way you do. I bet you can find someone to connect with and you’ll probably even enjoy it! Just look for another quiet, lost looking person, sit down beside them, steel your courage and start making conversation (using one of the questions above). Some of the best conversations of my life have started this way!

8. “How Can I Love and Serve Someone Today?” This is a great thought to think before you walk into a crowded room. It takes the focus off yourself and shifts you into a mindset of being intentional about impacting someone else. How can you encourage or uplift someone else? Who knows… Maybe there is someone in that room who could really use a listening ear.

   
   
   There. Are you feeling better already? I am! After employing these strategies the past few years, I can honestly say that I look forward to holiday gatherings… and I also look forward to my time of “recharging” afterward. ;)
   
   Try out one or two of these strategies this holiday season and let me know how it worked!
   
   Now, I’d love it if you’d tell me: How do you handle the holidays as an introvert? Do you have any words of wisdom to share?
   
   Thanks in advance!

50 Family Friendly Advent Activities

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50 Family Friendly Advent Activities

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I LOVE traditions, don't you?

In fact, traditions are my favorite part about the holidays! Each year our family scales back a bit on the whole "gift giving" part to focus our attention on creating memories and engaging in traditions.

Years ago, I was reading a book about family life and the importance of traditions. The author suggested sitting down and listing all the traditions you grew up with, which ones you liked and why. Then she challenged the reader to come up with their own new traditions. 

My kids were very young when I read this and the time was ripe to start our own traditions, but even if your kids are older (or if your kids are out of the house!), it's never too late to start something new! 

I decided to make an Advent Activity Calendar, a fun way for us to celebrate the season and take the focus off presents, and point us more to an attitude of gratitude and giving. 

So many people ask me about our Calendar, so I thought it would easier to show you how I do it step-by-step!

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A PEEK AT OUR ADVENT ACTIVITY CALENDAR

1. Find an Advent Calendar:

There are all sorts of Advent Calendar ideas out there, so look around. If you Google search “Advent Calender” or look for ideas on Pinterest, your head will explode in about 2 minutes. There are SO MANY WAYS to make an Advent Calendar. Be creative and use what you have!

Our calendar is made by Kaiser Craft (try searching Kaiser Craft Advent Calendar for all sorts of ideas and inspiration). It comes as plain MDF board that can be decorated or painted as you wish.

I purchased a pad of Christmas themed scrap-booking paper, some letter stickers and glue, and got to work.

2. Make a List of Ideas:

I came up with a list of Advent Activity Ideas that are age appropriate for our family. Each activity is written on a little slip of paper. It might be good to write down a few extra, in case you need to change your plans. I've shared 50 ideas with you below to get you started! 

3. Look at Your Calendar

Next, I sit down and look at our calendar for the month (and any community event calendars/flyers I can get my hands on. Try contacting your local Chamber of Commerce!) and do my best to organize the activities on days that would work. I make sure to have back-up plans and allow myself to move the activities around if needed (for example, we can't "go sledding" if there is no snow!). 

If you live in the West Michigan area, like we do, be sure to check out GRKids.com, where you can find a full list of all the action in West Michigan.

4. Go Shopping for the Needed Supplies

Make a list of supplies you will need for the activities you are planning. Of course, your "supply list" will vary depending on what activities you choose! A couple things that are usually on my list:

• Spices

• Smores Supplies and Candy Canes

• Hot Cocoa Mix

• Cranberries

• Gingerbread House Kit

• Birdseed

• Pinecones

• Window Paint

• Holiday Themed Pasta

• Nuts in Shells

• Apple Cider

• Bags/Tissue paper for gifts

5. Choose a Time to "Open" the Calendar

Each morning, my kids get to take turns "opening the box" and discovering what we will be doing that day. The anticipation is sometimes even better than the activity! Choose a time that works best for your family. 

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A WORD OF CAUTION

 I know you are excited! I know you want to do ALL THE THINGS! But... I caution you.

Some days are going to be crazy busy and if you try to fit in ONE MORE THING the Advent Activity might become a chore instead of a way to prepare your heart for Christmas.  

I can't tell you how many times this happened to us: My husband and I would make plans for a family outing, with visions of us smiling and laughing and having a great time. Unfortunately, reality sets in and on more than one occasion, we've said to each other through gritted teeth (over the noise of crying or bickering children) "We're having fun, dang it!" Ha!!!! Please tell me this has happened to you too! 

Keep the activities SIMPLE.

For example, if your KNOW Wednesdays are insane, maybe you choose a simple activity like eating dinner by candlelight and listening to Christmas music while you eat. Or maybe you read a Christmas story before bedtime. 

As my kids get older and life gets busier with homework, church and school commitments, we give ourselves TONS of grace. Some days we simply cannot fit in ANY Advent Activity. It's ok. Truly. 

This is not about perfection. This is about being intentional. 

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50 FAMILY FRIENDLY ADVENT ACTIVITIES

1. Family outing to cut down a Christmas tree

2. Go sledding

3. Pick out Toys for Tots and deliver to dropbox

4. Choose gifts from World Vision/Heifer International/etc.

5. Go ice skating

6. Bring gifts/treats to the neighbors

7. Make the house smell like Christmas (put whole cloves and a cinnamon stick in a pot of simmer water on the stove)

8. Make and hang paper snowflakes

9. Make hot cocoa with candy canes for stir sticks

10. Paint winter designs on the windows with tempera paint

11. Visit a live nativity

12. Decorate a gingerbread house

13. Christmas movie night (with popcorn and candy canes)

14. Drive around town looking at Christmas lights

15. Make an ornament for the Christmas tree

16. Make a pinecone bird feeder (peanut butter and birdseed)

17. Make popcorn and cranberry garlands for the birds

18. Make a Christmas present for teachers/bus drivers/Sunday school leaders/etc.

19. Pick out a Poinsettia or Christmas cactus

20. Try a traditional Christmas treat from a different country (visit your ethnic food store or aisle)

21. Sing Christmas carols

22. Make tin can luminaries (fill tin cans with water and freeze. Then use a hammer and nail to create designs. Once water has melted, place a tea light in the can and watch the design glow!)

23. Roast marshmallows in the fireplace

24. Serve Christmas colored or shaped pasta for dinner

25. Send a Christmas letter to a relative

26. Go to a Christmas parade

27. Make Clove Oranges and scatter them around the house (Push whole cloves into an orange and use them as decorations)

28. Buy whole nuts and shell them for a special treat (or use a nutcracker!)

29. Watch funny Christmas carol videos on YouTube

30. Make snow cones, using real snow and fruit juice or maple syrup

31. Bring treats to your local librarians

32. Hang mistletoe

33. Fill a ShoeBox Gift for Operation Christmas Child

34. Make a special trip to a store just to put money in the Salvation Army bucket

35. Read the Christmas story

36. Make a wreath from foraged greens

37. Make paper garlands to hang in the doorways

38. Attend a tree lighting ceremony

39. Go to a holiday craft bazaar

40. Make glitter snow globes using mason jars

41. Create a winter diorama using small animal figurines from the store and cotton balls

42. Collect pine cones and use them to decorate the house

43. Put up outdoor Christmas lights/decorations

44. Make hot apple cider

45. Decorate the Christmas tree

46. Go to a candlelight church service

47. Make origami ornaments for the tree

48. Eat dinner by candlelight and play Christmas music

49. Make homemade play dough and color it red and green

50. Send a care package to a missionary family

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SHARE YOUR IDEAS

I would LOVE to hear your Advent Activity ideas! I'm always adding more to my "master list". 

Do you have any family traditions you are willing to share?

Please leave a comment below! 

"Beauty will save the world."

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Beauty will save the world

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Can I tell you a little secret?

I used to think that people who bought flowers were silly, shallow and frivolous.

"Why would they spend good money on something like that? Something that is going to die and they'll throw in the trash? Boy, it must be nice to be able to literally throw money away."

In my heart, I felt bitterness and distain toward "those people". I thought they were being irresponsible and impractical.

It was so strange. Here I was, an Art major who has an incredible appreciation for beauty, yet I couldn't get on board with flowers.

Oh, I grew them in my landscaping and even put some in my gardens, but they were practical, right? Their job was to make my landscaping look good. Or attract pollinators to the more important, more noble vegetable crops.

You know. The things you can actually eat, the things I thought would save the world.

For crying out loud, I thought, there are people STARVING and we're buying flowers?!? I began to look at all my purchases and feel guilty whenever I spent money on anything that I felt was an "indulgence" or something we didn't absolutely need for survival.

It was a hard way to live. I think I secretly wanted beauty, but felt guilty and shallow even admitting that I longed for it.

"We need more beauty in our lives."

Thank goodness for my dear husband. His crazy idea changed everything.

He came home from work one day and started searching on-line for these things called "dahlia tubers". At this time, neither one of us had ever heard of dahlias!

"What in the world are you doing?", I asked him.

"I'm going to buy some dahlia tubers. A friend at work showed me photos of the flowers and I want some." (Me thinking to myself: "Why are dudes talking about flowers at work?")

"What?!? You've never grown anything in your life! Why are you doing this? We don't have room for something silly like flowers - we need all our growing space for growing food. You know - stuff that is actually valuable."

He replied, "I know. But we need more beauty in our lives."

Those words have stuck with ever since. I couldn't deny that it was true.

For the past 5 years, we had been living in a construction zone of a house ("Oh, a fixer-upper farm house! That must be so fun!" No. It's not) and our slowly developing farm was always in a state of disarray. We had been living in ugliness for years and it was dragging us all down.

So, I reluctantly and grudgingly agreed to help him plant dahlias. Let's just say maybe I would have had a better attitude if he had decided to plant 10 dahlias... but noooooooooooo. He brought home 300 tubers ("I found a great deal at a garage sale!") and we proceeded with the labor intensive work of planting, me grumbling under my breath the whole time that I would rather be planting something we could eat (because we have to grow more food to save the world, right?).

The Transformation

Then late July rolled around and one day while I was surveying the dahlia patch, I saw a flash of color. I went over to investigate, and oh friends, I wish I had the words describe my reaction when I saw that first flower... but let's just say it was as if these hard scales fell away from my heart and underneath I discovered something soft, something tender, something vulnerable.

I actually gasped out loud and started crying looking at that beautiful flower. I felt so silly, but now I understood. I knew why people love flowers, why they need them like air. Why they have a desperate longing for beauty, goodness and wonder.

While it might sound dramatic to say that flowers changed my life, it's true.

I learned to slow down, to savor small joys and take the time to really "see".

I learned that my soul longs for beauty and goodness and wonder... and I should not be ashamed of that. God created me with those desires deep inside me and trying to fight against them was only making me miserable.

I learned that efficiency, productivity and achievement are not bad things, but they don't bring me true joy and contentment.

I learned to be more forgiving and gentle, and less judgmental and harsh. The flowers softened my rough edges, my hardness and created a new person.

They transformed me.

Sharing the Wonder

Imagine my joy and delight when people started stopping by our farm stand to buy the flowers and I discovered they felt the same way!

Friends, I don't know what it is, but strangers would tell me the most tender and heartbreaking stories while they were picking out their flowers. There is something about flowers that allows us to be open and real, to be vulnerable and soft.

I'm in awe of the power of beauty.

It fills me with such joy to know that the flowers we raise on our farm are helping others transform their lives as well. Whether they are buying for themselves or sharing them with a loved one, more and more lives are being blessed with beauty, goodness, love and wonder.

Beauty Will Save the World

Fyodor Dostoevsky said "Beauty will save the world" and after much thought and pondering, I think he's right.

Beauty is not shallow or frivolous, as I once thought. It has power to point us to goodness and truth, to compassion and tenderness.

We were specially designed to long for it, to desire it deep in our hearts. You know this. You've felt your heart literally ache at the sight of something beautiful, your chest swelling with tightness and that feeling like you might burst into a million pieces. 

Beauty leads us toward it's ultimate source, our God, our Creator, who loved us SO MUCH that He gave us the gift of beauty. He didn't have to do that, but He did. It blows me away. It also speaks volumes about how God feels about beauty. If He thinks it's important, then we better pay attention.

Beauty fills us with a spirit of thankfulness, kindness, joy, love, peacefulness... all things this world desperately needs right now.

THAT is how beauty will save the world - by transforming us into people filled with compassion and love, people who will make this world a little kinder every day.

Go forth, friends, and make today a little bit brighter and more beautiful.

-Lori

"Always begin with the beautiful. It leads you to the good, which leads you to the truth."

- Father Robert Barron