Day 14: The joy of handmade.
AT CHRISTMAS, my dear friend Jay Coles makes a special, signature gift —something very "Jay" that's creative, fun, joyful. Opening that present always tickles me, so I thought I'd share with you a smattering from years past: this sweet fella stays out all year! the...
Day 8: Ex—pec—ta—tion
I'VE SUNG IN a choir much of my life, first as a child at Gladeville Presbyterian in Wise, Virginia, and for the last 30 years at Providence Presbyterian in West Columbia, SC, the congregation I joined when, newly divorced and suddenly a single mom, I took my broken...
Day 7: Together.
ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE to you Stella, Edwin and Ellie—the three who may well have had the finest time of all when we gathered for a family Thanksgiving atop beautiful Cats Mountain. Stella, or "Lella," as sweet 19-month-old Posey calls her, belongs with Tim and me....
Day 6: Darkness, and Light, and Advent
IT IS A PRACTICE that brings depth to the season and calm to my soul; a daily watching for the promise that when darkness surrounds, light is to come. This is Advent, to me. It's what we all want, is it not? What we need? To hang on? When life is hard, when the world...
Day 5: The Dancing Trees
I LOVE A Christmas craft, particularly if it's something I can do while watching The Voice or Survivor or (my current fave) The Diplomat. I've had fun these last couple of weeks popping out a few of what I'm calling Dancing Trees. They're so cute as ornaments or...
Day 4: Thanksgiving, and tradition
The post below first appeared on The Daily Grace on Thanksgiving Eve 2011. So much has changed in the years since I wrote it. All of the grandparents have passed on. Eliza—the cute Party Girl in blue, above, is now 33, married, and has a sweet daughter of her...
Day 3: The joy of surprise.
IT TOOK ME forever to see. Tim swore it was there, in a photograph taken by our friend, Paul, when he and Stacy came to visit at the end of October. His was a shot of one of the two Autumn wreathes that hang on our front doors, October to Thanksgiving. I looked at the...
Hi. I’m Cathy.
This is a blog about writing, creative living, and grace in the everyday. It’s my hope this little spot on the internet will be for you a place of quiet and reflection, a source for inspiration, and a reminder there’s beauty all around—we simply need to keep our hearts open to see it. Thank you for being here with me.