“I see grace groweth best in winter.”
~ Samuel Rutherford
Grace in February:
Mom’s spaghetti sauce recipe
Shoveling the church parking lot with a few folks
A long drive home at dusk, reflection of the sunset in the frozen creek beds and ponds
Psalm 30
Ashley’s braids
It Is Well
Playing a makeshift game of hockey on our frozen driveway till dark
Snow Moon
Returning my milk bottles to Main Street Mercantile and their shelves of bread, salsas, and pickled things
Making granola and reading in the corner of the kitchen while it baked, waiting for Jared to come home
A morning and a quiet house to write
Making coffees to-go and Wednesday afternoons to work at church, print newsletters, and potluck with everyone
How good Lee Creek Baptist is at welcoming in a visitor
Winter pansies that were still blooming underneath the deep snow
A day warm enough to open the windows
Trip to Savers, coming home with baskets, baby gifts, books, and a birdhouse
Trading emails with Papa Larry and stories of his time teaching at St. Ignatius on Concord Hill
Sister phone calls
Friday morning cooking for a full weekend; turkey sandwiches and cookies
Our afternoon workouts together
Getting up early to help Jared make breakfast for the men’s book study
Meeting all the church ladies at the coffee shop on Saturday morning, where we nearly filled every table, visited, and pulled out our crochet projects
Papa Jay calling me
Picking up lumber to build a chicken tractor
Rose-colored skies
The beautiful baby shower that the church ladies put together for Kalynn
Little cilantro plant on the windowsill
Coffee with Amanda; an hour of sisterly encouragement on a day the Lord knew I needed it
Christ, the joy of my salvation
Sourdough pizzas in the oven and a warm evening on the porch swing
Baking a London Fog cake with all the screens open
Teresa’s birthday meal: sandwiches, salad, cake, and coffee around the table long after
Trading audio messages with Hannah, a faithful friend
Sweeping up the house, pulling weeds, making soup and bread
A walk with Jared after a long day of meetings
Little Adalai and Eden pictures
Frying bacon and the way the house smelled nice the rest of the day
Taking a few Fridays to build our chicken tractor; learning to measure, chisel, and use a chop saw; dreaming of spring hens
February 14th—our baby’s due date coming and going with much grace from God and care from Jared; Psalm 84 and 1 Corinthians 15, a long rain, flowers on the grave, getting tea together at Chapters, and an evening date
Central Mall in the rain
Teaching my Inklings Writing Coaching students each Tuesday morning and listening as they read their stories aloud
The first brave daffodil
Lovely Wednesday morning walks
Visiting Anna, making chocolate mousse together, and talking at her kitchen table for an hour
Getting the guest room ready for my family, sweeping, dusting, and strong breezes moving throughout the house all afternoon
My parents and Janaya pulling in at dusk, pizzas in the oven and the dinner table set
A morning hike, bright red berries, and daffodils deep in the woods
The birthday party Jared threw for me, featuring his tortellini skillet, salad, cupcakes, flowers on the table, and games around the table
Sunday evening popcorn and watching the U.S. take gold in hockey
New tea mug
Piddling around the yard and checking to see which bulbs were poking up
Transplanting my birthday tulips from the kitchen table to the backyard
February sunrise filling up the front window and a long sunset that evening, watching it swell and fade together
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