For years, I have wanted to look out my glass doors during the winter and early spring and see the seasons change from inside my home, This year, as I prepare for Advent, I have planted some things that will eventually shriek against the wintry sky, Advent is celebrated before Christmas, and I have decided…
Month: November 2024
Hope & Advent + Faith & Light – The First Sunday of Advent is Hope Sunday – #Advent
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 I have begun my preparations to Celebrate Advent, and today, I want to tell you what I will do on December 1, which in 2024, is the First Sunday of Advent. Advent takes place during the 4 weeks…
How to Prepare to Celebrate Advent – The Season of Light – #Advent — A Free Advent Calendar
This year something fortuitous has happened. Advent begins on December 1, and that is a much more tidy day than it has been in many years past. Advent ends on December 24. Therefore, in the year of 2024, Advent takes place during the first 24 days of December. I think that is special Many years…
Camellias – Exquisite Flowering Shrubs – Signature of the Deep South
There is a restaurant in New Orleans named The Camellia Grill, but the grill part of the name is a bit misleading. The Camellia Grill is one of the finest places to eat in the South. The patrons are served by waiters in white jackets and black bow ties. White linen tablecloths, cloth napkins, and…
Myth and Memoir Writing – Understanding the Difference Between Magical Thinking and Harsh Truth – #MemoirMonday
On Mondays, I like to create a special post about writing a memoir. I call those posts #MemoirMondays. My goal for today is to explain that a memoir must be truthful– But it should not be a harsh account of reality. That is one of the differences between writing for an encyclopedia and writing a…
The Church of the Nativity, an Episcopal Church in Water Valley – My New Home Church
A quaint little Episcopal Church building sits in the middle of the town of Water Valley, MS. Although the current structure was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1984l The church body dates back to 1869. Water Valley is a town filled with old buildings and history, and I am pleased to say that today, I…
The Tapestry of Carole King’s Music: A Message and a Lesson for #MemoirMonday
After several years without melody, I have returned to the songs that have become part of my soul. I recently subscribed to Amazon Music, and I added to my Playlist: Folk music of the 60s, but Amazon also began playing music from Carole King’s Tapestry Album–which I consider to be music of the 70s. From…
Precious Memories, How They Linger – An Older Joan Baez Remembered When the President Sang Amazing Grace
I’m trying to move on from my disappointment about the 2024 election [primarily with the people who elected him]. To help with that effort, I turned off the news channels. Being hooked on the drama of what is happening in our nation’s politics is a drug that was killing me. For years, I had allowed…
Mistakes — Everyone Makes Them — Let’s Move Into the Light!
“Gypsy Rose Lee of Kalamazee, In Kalmazong, Mazoo, Has Looked in Her Ball –Oh! Wonder of All– I See what she Saw was You.” Jacki Kellum Gypsy Rose Lee Jacki Kellum Illustration Reworked in Procreate Several years ago, I started a journey toward learning how to make art on my iPad in Procreate. I created…
Happy Birthday to One of My Heroes – Mary Travers – Because of Peter, Paul, & Mary, I Learned to Ask the Questions that Were Blowin’ in the Wind
When I was a teenager, the Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion were at the top of the musical charts, but I still preferred to listen to folk music. Of all the folk musicians, Peter, Paul, & Mary had the greatest influence on my life, and partially because I was a female with…