July 21, 2010 @ 6:21 am | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Pure Sunshine,The Writing Life,Uniquely Me
I love beautiful, simple things.
Like old aprons with a rich history, books with a timeless story, people with a look of love in their eyes, and days dotted with laughter and meaning.
There is something about real simplicity that speaks volumes to my soul. It renews me somehow, reminds me of all that is truly important and all that is not.
Simplicity is an apron tie that binds my heart strings…
I appreciate the brilliance of the Kindle, but on some days there is nothing that gives me greater satisfaction than holding a book in my hands…breathing in that deeply musty scent and fingering the pages even while the words take my mind to a place far, far away.
I adore my iPhone and all of the apps and texting and messaging it allows me…talking to many friends at once without really talking at all…But on some days there is nothing that does my heart more good than to sit down over a cup of coffee with a friend who knows my heart and talk for real…and laugh and laugh and laugh…and even cry a tear or two if the moment calls for it.
Simple, beautiful things. They are the apron ties that create simple, beautiful moments…
And I’ve learned how life often hands them out.
Good and beautiful moments followed by trying and sad. Complex hurdles and challenges balanced perfectly with simple happy days. Intricate layers of learning and knowing, feeling and being, moving forward and being content to simply reside in the moment.
I don’t think I’d have it any other way. I love the simple, the good, the happy. But without the trying, the complex, the sad, the good just wouldn’t seem as good and there would be no desire to inch forward…to the better that is just waiting to be realized.
(1) my grandmother’s apron…worn thin and stained from a lifetime of making pecan pies for the family! (2) my newest find in Natchitoches, Louisiana – love the retro look! (3) the apron I’m TRULY jonseing for…it’s calling my name!
I find myself challenged lately to really think about the broader scheme of life and circumstances, and how to have a greater understanding of purpose.
Wanting to live purposefully and knowing that, at any given moment when things seem just as they should be – whether it’s enjoying a luxurious morning with a delicious book or a relaxing afternoon with a dear friend over a cup of coffee – my awareness alone for the simple and beautiful things in life is the beginning of my purposeful journey.
I’m trying to capture these thoughts and more for a new story I’m working on this summer. Without further ado – may I introduce you to my summer writing project…a way I’ve found to mix all that I love (people, books, God) with all that I find inspiring (food, aprons, writing).
Here’s a peek…I hope you enjoy!
The Apron Ties that Bind Series:
“Amanda, Jessica, Elizabeth and Lauren are more than mere sisters. They own and operate a business together—their family’s old world-style Italian cafe. Four sisters—four distinct personalities—and four ways of managing the cafe their parents willed to them.
Amanda, the eldest and the most conservative, runs a tight ship and keeps a strict eye on finances.
Jessica, the free spirited bohemian of the bunch, finds life inside the restaurant too confining for her taste.
Elizabeth, quiet and loyal, is the peacemaker, putting her own ambitions on hold for the sake of her feuding siblings.
Lauren, the baby of the family, is exuberant and carefree, oblivious to her sisters’ quandaries as she spends her days in college classes and her evenings chatting up the neighborhood boys who venture into the cafe.
As life and love stir the hearts of the Benetti sisters, they struggle to find their own place in the world…without losing each other in the process.”
If you don’t mind, keep this story – and me – in your prayers!
Embrace YOUR apron ties today! Let the binding {and more of life’s simple, beautiful moments} commence…
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