Uphill idealist

Image by He Qi: Nativity I tripped on beauty and fell – Into cool blues, warm pinks and golds that took my breath away. No bumps. Movement invited me to tango, but didn't mind that I didn't know the steps. No bruises. Grace took the lead and beckoned me to, "Come, sit and rest a spell". Safe. Hope served me some comfort for here and to go. Sound. This company went the extra mile to make sure it’s all good. For this moment, inside these four corners, I am. Home. Copyright 2013 T.L. Eastman

For the last 12 years, my family and I often visit a local gem of a restaurant  to enjoy their pizza, wings and salads. Ashville General Store is one of my favorite places to take out-of-town friends because of the amazing variety on the menu, the small town charm of the store, and the wonderful staff.  The owner, Jackie, was kind enough to give me the breakdown of one of my favorite salad treats they serve there: Broccoli Garbanzo  Salad. Here is my first at-home attempt in making this tasty dish. It's easy and good for you. If you like, grilled chicken breast can be added to it to become a dinner entree instead of a side dish - but I've been happy having this salad any day of the week for supper! Here's what's in it: Broccoli Crowns(Either steamed fresh or from frozen), garbanzo beans, green onions, feta cheese, green onions, fresh basil or pesto mix, chopped garlic, sunflower seeds - sesame seeds - black olives (if you like them), lemon juice, virgin olive oil...

Image from Best Weight Loss Now . Darkness surrounds, but the jingling sound of the leash calls us to greet the street with our feet. Your feet are bare and mine are tied up snugly in my sneakers. You don't wear a coat, except the one you were born with - but I wear layers of clothing. Tank top, long-sleeved running shirt, over-sized hoodie, track pants, skull cap and hobo gloves. It seems too cold today, even for October. Step by step my body warms up, you happily prance by my side. You are sniffing here and there as your tail wags almost in tempo with our moving feet and the song on my Ipod. Our breath hangs in the air as the darkness begins to lift. I take the top layer hoodie off as you rest for a moment. Tying to hoodie around my waist, we head up the big hill and you graciously stay with me, even though my pace slows a little. You are asking me lead. You need me to be the leader. As we reach the top of the hill, I look back and see the sky erupting in colors of cotton candy b...

I'm home from the ELCA youth gathering in New Orleans. It's amazing to me that yesterday morning I was in that beautiful and now almost hopeful city and today I'm back to my small city, and seeing hopeful signs here too. I will have to take the next few days to unpack my physical luggage as well as all the experiences and opportunity our group had while we were the the big easy. So for today, I just wanted to tell you all a simple hello, that I missed you and that I already miss all the lovely people I met in New Orleans. You made a home in my heart with your stories, your determination and your hope.

Saturday morning was filled with a meeting for Mr. E for work, Nigel and his friend visited Grandma's house, Heather was at a bonfire and sleep over the night before and I was up with the birds (not my usual Saturday habit.) to prepare and participate in my first 5k since last August. I had been invited to sing the Star Spangled Banner by some of the folks that hosted this 5k fundraiser for the Anew Center (an agency that aids people recovering from Domestic Violence). All the night before, I kept running the words and music over and over again the the song. It was to be sung acapella and at 9am in the morning. I grabbed the mic and did my best. The crowd was gracious and cheered me on. It was a nice run/walk and I met up with a previous co-worker; so I had company on the race. Man, is she a fast walker! It ended up being easier to jog than to walk at her pace, but I finished the race and managed to run a little over 1/2 of it. I kept reminding myself about the principal of practi...

...On Sunday when I was helping serve Communion for the contemporary service. People were coming up for the elements (bread and wine) and I was saying to them, "This is the body of Christ, shed for you." as they dipped their bread into the cup I was holding. I felt like I was standing in they exact place I was supposed to be standing at 10:37 am Sunday October 26th, 2008. There was a rightness about it that made everything seem surreal for about five minutes or so. In that place of communion with people and God - I felt that was where I'm called to be. It seemed like home.