metaphor

Rearranging Furniture

~ Teresa ~ 6 Comments

chair collage 2

I have come to the conclusion that rearranging furniture  is probably a metaphor for life. We have played musical furniture so many times over the past year and are probably not done yet.  I’m starting to realize that shifting furniture around and making the pieces fit can teach us much about life.  We have to look at our available resources and determine how they can work together to create the space that we need in order to be at our most productive.  This is true of living life to our fullest potential as well as having a home with well-balanced furniture and accessories. Sometimes we have to accept that it might be time for something to go in order to make room.

Liviing Room collage

This has been a year of accepting that God sometimes rearranges our plans.  My husband has been without an official, includes benefits, job for a while now.  Doors have been slamming all over the place.  I finally changed the way I was praying.  I started asking God to send my husband the work he had for him to do rather than asking God to send him the job we thought he needed. I also asked God to give us enough. It’s not the way we thought we’d be living at this point in our lives, but our needs are being met in the space we’ve been given. God is faithful and he does answer prayer.

Music room collage

I have  been looking hard at what I’m supposed to be writing. For a long time I resisted writing about my mom’s Alzheimer’s and how it was rearranging all our lives. I didn’t want that to be my story. But, it is part of my story and it shapes  my voice. To leave it out would not be authentic, so I’ve been rearranging and making space to explore the journey in my writing.

One of the highlights of this past year was when I went to a Writers Barn event and soaked in what Emily Freeman and Christa Wells had to say about our writing voice. Emily said, “Learn to respect the story that’s within you”.  She’s right.  Going forward, that is a lesson I will continue to embrace.

Emily P. Freeman quote

A year is made up of many moments that define our living.  If we can look at those moments and see how the story was written, then we can take the truth from those moments and let them shape the story that is to come.

Rearranging in grace,

Teresa

What lessons have you learned this year?  To read what others have been learning hop on over to Chatting at the Sky.

Things I Learned In November

~ Teresa ~ 4 Comments

1.  I learned that I need to enjoy the journey as well as the destination.  Literally and Metaphorically.  I am not the best traveler.  I love new places, but getting there is not so much fun, especially when it involves rain, hills, curves and big trucks.  This truth also hit home metaphorically, during my visit to the Barn with Emily and company. I Learned so much at this event.  Still processing.

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2.  I also learned that I need to accept where I am on the journey.  This lesson came via Renee Swope in the words she spoke to me about learning not to “resist or resent”.

3.  I learned from my cousin, Tim, that sometimes when the hurt is too much we can soften it with humor.

4.  I learned that I like my November to be warmer, rather than colder. The cold weather hit sooner than I would have preferred.

5.  I learned that I have too much stuff and should really consider purging.  In all honesty, I already knew this, but was given the opportunity this month to learn this lesson again. It is a work in progress.

6.  I learned that I love PTX – they are amazing!

To find out what others have learned join the community over at Chatting at the Sky.

Learning in Grace,

Teresa

“And this mess is so big…”

~ Teresa ~ 4 Comments

PicMonkey Collage.closet

“But all things should be done decently and in order.” I Corinthians 14:40

I had a closet.  It was horrid.  It started out with good intentions. But a year of searching for this and that and a few more items stuffed in, and well, I’ll let the pictures tell the story:

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100_1936

The This closet was originally going to be my pantry. But…Mr. Piano needed storage for the stuff that will someday go to an office.  I wanted custom shelves…but, my brother never seemed to have the time for the shelves and they cost money…. the crates started out in a neat stack with a few things on top.  But… (yes, there is another but) eventually, Mr. Piano needed a piece of music from one of the bottom crates and the rest is history. Long story, short. We lived with it as is. Until we couldn’t. 

This past weekend I decided to organize the closet and use a utility shelf.  I wanted to paint it white, but I wanted the mess organized more, so I just went with the utilitarian gray.  Someday, I still have hopes of this being a custom organized pantry.  In the meantime, it is in much better shape.  I’ll let the photo’s show you:

100_1946 100_1945 100_1934 100_1939 100_1942 100_1941 100_1944This closet is now, officially, the most organized spot in my house.  This is sad.  I walk by and peek in several times a day just to calm the chaos swirling around in my head and my house. It is amazing how quickly the organizing thread can unravel.  It only takes a year give or take a  month or two.

(Yes, we have a curtain for a closet door.  Okay? Thanks.)

I’m pretty sure this closet is a metaphor for something.  Something that may be askew in my life.  Is it possible that while I’m organizing the hidden places in my home (and the not so hidden) that I will also be on a journey to find balance in those hidden places deep in my soul?

Balancing in Grace,

Sadie

“She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.” –Proverbs 31:27

Day 5 – In Which Bolognese Sauce Becomes a Metaphor for Authentic Writing

~ Teresa ~ 2 Comments

au·then·tic/ôˈTHentik/ (thanks to google)  Adjective:                                                  Of undisputed origin; genuine: “authentic 14th-century furniture”.  Made or done in the traditional or original way: “authentic Italian meals”.

I spent some time in the kitchen yesterday.  As much as I love discovering new blogs through this 31 Days challenge and as much as I love writing, my husband was in dire need of a good home cooked meal.  You can only go so far with rice and beans, or sandwiches.

This led me to a new recipe for Bolognese sauce that I wanted to try.  Which in turn lead to an affirmation about me – I like things to be authentic.

While the Bolognese was still simmering on the stove, I could tell it was going to be quite tasty; however, it basically looked like spaghetti sauce, so I wondered what made it specifically a Bolognese sauce.  Like any avid researcher, I googled and this  is what I discovered.  Quite the history, and I read it all.

After reading, I came to the conclusion that what I made is not really an authentic Bolognese.  The sentence that clinched the deal for me:  “Serving spaghetti with Bolognese sauce is actually a sign of mediocrity in the understanding of Italian cuisine.” And then this one: “In the United States, the term ‘Bolognese”‘ is sometimes applied to a tomato-and-ground-beef sauce that bears little resemblance to the ragù served in Bologna.”   I had already decided to use Penne which is on the approved list of pastas, so, I felt somewhat validated.  Thank you very much.

I have decided that I want to discover the most authentic recipe I can find and try again. This one seems pretty close.  In the meantime, the sauce I made was quite tasty and it received Mr Piano’s seal of approval.

You may be wondering how discourse on Bolognese sauce relates to word weaving, commonly referred to as writing.  If you have ever read any books written by writers about writing, then you already know the answer.

Our writing must come from truth.  You’ve heard it before – write about what you know. Be authentic. Just like the sauce was a modified version of the original, if we’re not careful, our writing can become a modified version of the truth.  Whatever genre you write, it has to be authentically yours – your voice, coming from your experiences and grounded in your truth.

If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it.Tennessee Williams

In grace,

Sadie

Are you following the 31 Days – you can find other participants over at Nesting Place