little garden

 the window is open,

the scent of my 

Jasmine Blossom & Woods candle 

lit nearby.

i can hear the twinkling sounds of laughter and hollerin’ 

of the boys in the 

backyard. 

the bed is made, 

lumps from the comforter, 

bunched together like an accordion, but it is freshly clean, 

and the sight of the huge botanicals sprawled out give me 

great joy. 

i haven’t vacummed the carpet yet, 

but i am almost there. 

i took out the trash and there is also a now empty laundry basket, 

black and waiting to be filled.

emptying the chaos and 

filling the room with 

spritzes of shalom,

this finally feels like a little

garden of eden

and i can now rest until 

dinner..

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Homemade Poppyseed Dressing

 We were headed to a lovely couple's home, they are engaged to be married in just a few short weeks, and they asked us over for dinner as we would talk over wedding details.  My husband is officiating and he is so excited to marry this darling couple. Jacob and Alina made turkey burgers, with homemade burger buns-like whaaaat, sweet potato fries, and all the fixings. I was tasked with contributing a salad. 

I love strawberry spinach salad, i remember my mom and I used to go to Arnie's, and my mom would always get this salad called the Riveria Salad, which was basically spinach salad with strawberries with poppyseed vinaigrette.  I remember sitting in the car with her afterwards and watching her check her teeth in the overhead mirror and looking to me asking,  "Do i have any poppyseeds in my teeth?"

I would never guess i would grow up to enjoy this salad myself one day, or that i would put together a dressing from scratch. I have come a long way, truly. 

Let's get into this salad. 

you'll need:

1-2 bags of fresh baby spinach 

1 cup fresh strawberries sliced

1-2 shallots, finely sliced (i used a mandolin)

feta cheese, crumbled

toasted slivered almonds:

1/4 cup slivered almonds

butter 

brown sugar 

toast in a small pan, stirring constantly, so the nuts do not burn. you want them fragrant and a bit caramelized, you can roughly chop them again if you prefer, or set them aside once you finish assembling the salad..

for dressing:

a small chubby glass jar with lid for shaking 

honey

rice wine vinegar 

1 tablespoon ground mustard 

1-2 tbs poppyseed

pinch of salt 

Toss salad in large bowl. Add sliced strawberries, most of the shallots, as well as some feta. 

Add in toasted slivered almonds once they have cooled a bit.

Shake dressing after stirring or whisking ingredients in jar.

Pour over desired amount on salad to coat it as you wish. 

Serve immediately! 

so old

 You're so old

they say 

and I laugh

with a deep roar

rising up from my very core

because how could that phrase 

ever be anything 

but magnificent?

She let herself go

they cry

and I smile

with every tooth in my head

because Mother Nature and I know 

what a miraculous act

letting go

truly is.

You've changed

they say

and i am at once 

completely fulfilled

and at peace 

with my life's purpose

because if I did not come here

to grow

then what was it all for?

-Donna Ashworth, 

'Life'

How abundant are the 

good things

that you have stored up 

for those who fear you,

that you bestow in the sight of all, 

on those that take refuge 

in you. 

In the shelter of your presence

you hide them

from all human intrigues;

you keep them safe in

your dwelling

from 

accusing tongues. 

.psalm 31: 19-20

human intrigues: secret, crafty, underhanded plots, schemes, or mechanizations assigned to 

achieve a goal- often involving deception, manipulation, or harm to others, as a verb, it means

to arouse curiosity or fascinate. it also refers to illicit love affairs. 

he is next to me, 

the air between us 

a comfortable coziness 

that comes with almost 20 years of marriage,

our pillows propped behind our skin. 

his Bible resting in his lap, 

his floating freckles grip onto his 

strong and smooth shoulders, 

they've been his companions his whole life. 

even longer than me.

he leans over to me and says quietly, 

"when i die, 

i want you to use this language."

i wait. 

my husband, the pastor, the shepherd, 

the spiritual father to many.

"he was gathered to his people."

how fitting.