I have lived almost my entire life thinking that I didn’t enjoy mangoes. This thought may have entered my mind in college. I tried mangoes at about the same time my roommate's boyfriend brought over some papaya. I am certain I don’t like papaya, but somehow my brain equated the two fruits. And so I have avoided mangoes as if they were liver. (Apologies to those who think liver is delicious.) My worldview, as far as mangoes are concerned, changed this year because of a humble potluck. A group of friends meet each month to share food, conversation and prayer for one another. It is a rich, satisfying experience. My friends are better …
Author: Phyllis Argent Castren
A Few Words About Fall
I anticipate fall like some people look forward to a holiday. I love all things fall, although I find it a little annoying that retailers try to convince us that it is fall when the temperatures are still soaring and not one leaf has turned color. Don’t even get me started on the topic of …
The View
There is something thrilling about waking up to a new landscape. Once it was unexpected snow in Flagstaff. More recently, it was the first blush of dawn on a snow-capped peak near the Oregon border. I can become mesmerized by the ever-changing scene outside my window when I travel. Train travel affords a fresh perspective …
Pencil shavings and lunchboxes
"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." Joe Fox, "You've Got Mail" For weeks I have been blasted with back-to-school ads. Value packs of pencils, spiral notebooks, colored pencils and of course my favorite, the 64-pack of classic Crayons. The box still comes with a built-in …
Forever Changed
They are cutting down the tree. The angry sound of a chainsaw makes me think of enraged wasps. As exhaust fumes seep in around doors and windows, the sound – not really the sound, but the knowledge of what the sound means – gnaws at my bones. This machine is not just ripping the tree away, but our peace. The peace it steals is the peace that a mature tree brings to a space. Sadly for this majestic, leafy tree, it was planted in exactly the wrong spot and was tearing up neighboring walls and garage floors. The landlord said it had to go even as he lamented the need for more trees in …
A Moment
Today, I took a moment. Sitting in a mottled patch of sun, I tilted my head back and watched the breeze run its fingers through the top of a tree. I listened to birds twitter. Were they arguing? Maybe, since the pair tore past me at top speed a moment later. I felt the sun …
Grow Where You Get Tossed
It is possible to grow and even thrive where we get tossed. After all, God knows where we are.
As Spring Unfurls
California typically rushes through spring in its frantic dash to summer. Bulbs bloom in February and are gone. Trees bloom and leaf at the same time. If you want to see wildflowers, you better not blink.This year, however, is very different. For the first time in many years, a cool wet spring is unfurling slowly.Buds form and pause, teasing us with what is to come. Wildflowers paint the landscape with wide brushstrokes of yellow, orange, purple. Bulbs – some of them …
Breaking Up With Our Stuff
Something about the start of a new year makes me want to clean closets and go through boxes. I want to get rid of the accumulation, par down, and simplify. Each year, I get rid of a little more as my priorities evolve. Not long ago, my husband and I emptied a tall file cabinet in the garage. We hadn’t examined the contents in years. Old work …
All Things Are Possible: Blank pages, empty pots.
One of my favorite gifts this Christmas was a new planner. I just love calendars in January. Empty pages of potential lay before me. In the early days of the year, all things are possible. I realized today that January gardening feels much the same. There was a break in the rain and mild temperatures, so I decided last Sunday was the day for my neglected garden. Late summer’s growth, once lush and inviting, was now drooping and half-dead. Hydrangea …
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SMALL MOMENTS FULL OF GRACE 