like pussy willows, you are enough

Flowers are enough.

"It was early spring and there was nothing my friend could find for his grandmother but a few sprigs of pussy willow. As he gave them to her, minutes before she died, she pressed them to her face and whispered, 'They're grand, my love. And enough'".  -from The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis, unearthed in the introduction by Walter Hooper.

It wasn't about the gift of the flowers, no for grandmother it was the thought behind the gift. In the final moments of the her life she desired not something of grandeur, not a gold ring, but rather the simple act of love her grandson showed by bringing her flowers. 

The flowers were enough for her. 

And they should be enough for all of us.

The world will shout out you are not enough. People will tell you, grades, reviews, and the paycheck will show you that you are not enough. We all feel like we fall short, each day. But we have to pull away from being not enough and come to embrace that we are. We are enough, we are like those pussy willows to the grandmother. We are enough. 

Yes, we are broken there is no denying that. We are humans. We've been broken from the moment Eve ate the fruit in the garden, but we cannot dwell in the brokenness. 

We are enough. Enough for the world, for ourselves, and for the Creator. 

Moving forward in the day, weeks, and months ahead pull away from not enough. Take a moment to read this. Take a friend out to dinner, invite them over for tea for the simple reason of just because. Love people. Love yourself. And remember you are like those pussy willows to the grandmother, enough. 

Spinach-Pesto Pasta with Mushrooms and Ricotta

It is that time of year. Caught inside as the winds whip outside, dropping the temperature to an arctic chill that reads below zero. 

Yesterday, stuck inside I tried my hand at a new food creation: spinach-pesto. 

I watched a the food processor's blades turned with each push of the pulse button. Combining the garlic with the spinach and the spinach with the basil; the basil with the parmesan cheese followed with a dash of olive oil and lemon juice, and a pinch of salt to top it off.

The final pulse left me with a smooth combination of pesto, with a slight overpowering aroma of garlic. 

For those of you who find yourselves caught inside while the winter winds blow step into the kitchen, search Pinterest, and try your hand at a new food creation (maybe even this spinach-pesto).

Spinach-Pesto

[need] 

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup fresh basil (I used dried basil, but would recommend fresh)

1 cup fresh packed baby spinach

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (with a sprinkle more, who doesn't love cheese?)

2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

[create]

First, mince the clove of garlic and place in food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse into well combined. Taste, and tailor as needed. I found myself adding more spinach and cheese. Remove from food processor and place in jar. Refrigerate. 

Now what to do with the pesto? I combined it with pasta. Try out this recipe below. 

Spinach-Pesto Pasta with Mushrooms and Ricotta 

[need] 

Freshly made spinach-pesto

8 oz whole wheat pasta 

1/3 cup ricotta cheese 

Mushrooms (desired amount)

[create] 

First, sauté mushrooms in olive oil. Next bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling cook the pasta as directed on packaging. Drain pasta. Place desired amount of pasta in a bowl, add a spoonful of the pesto. Next add ricotta cheese and top with mushrooms. Mix together. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. 

[both recipes adopted from Naturally Ella]

silence & you

I've been thinking. Thinking about silence.
I find myself comfortable with it. The introverted bit of me craves it. I have sat in rooms with people who are the opposite, who feel the desire to fill the silence with mindless chatter. Sometimes, in those moments with those people, I, to be quite frank want to say shut up would you. Yet, I have a bigger mind than mouth when it comes to speaking my thoughts, which is good.
But what's so wrong with silence?

It allows you to sit with YOU.

Sitting with yourself, a scary thought because in that moment you have to face yourself.

photographer: stellan herner

Sometimes I sit on the couch or at the kitchen table and simply be. And in that moment I am doing nothing, literally nothing. I stare at the wall. The wall I tell you. Who sits and stares at the wall?

We all have things to do, places to be, and people to call. We have so much to do. Guilt creeps in when we find ourselves sitting and doing nothing. Guilt is beside me when it is just me and the open room. Guilt for what I should be doing and who I should be.

Sit. Alone in a room. Who does that?

But you want to know a secret. We have to do that. We are human beings so plugged into the world, so overwhelmed with lists that are pages in length. Overwhelmed by the cluttered agenda book filled with places to be and people to attend to. The list of to-do's will only continue increase in length.
It is time to stop and stare, to sit there. Yes, sit there my friend. It will serve you well.

We have to be comfortable with ourselves in an open room. We have to, how else are we going to know who we are? Be comfortable in who we are? We have to overcome the guilt we feel and the only way to do that is to face it.

We have to be comfortable with ourselves in a silent room.

For a moment forget the people, the places, and sit. Disconnect from the chaos, and connect with yourself. You have to, for you.