Story of My Life

Tonight at sundown, Purim begins. Have you heard of it? For most of my life, I really hadn't.  I may have heard the word, but I had no idea what it was.  Then I found out I already knew the story of Purim; in fact, it's one of my favorite stories ever!   If you've ever read the book of Esther in the Bible, then you know the story of Purim.  I  love this story, because it is  a real live "fairy tale", complete with a king, a girl who becomes a queen and her courageous guardian, an evil villain, and a happily ever after ending.    Purim is the holiday that celebrates this story.  This holiday is full of joy and celebration, with parties, costumes, parades and fun.  It is also a holiday full of hidden meaning.    At Purim we wear masks and costumes to symbolize the hidden meaning of the holiday.  The Hebrew meaning of Esther's name itself is "hidden".  She was urged by Mordecai (her guardian and rel...

To celebrate our 31st anniversary, Robert and I decided to spend the weekend in one of our favorite places: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We have been wanting to stay in the Red Caboose Motel in Strasburg, ever since we learned it existed, so we booked a 2 night stay.  This place is so cute! It's made up of 38 cabooses, a mail car, a baggage car, and 2 dining cars. They're celebrating their 50th season this year! We stayed in a couple's half caboose. There are also family cabooses that sleep up to 6 people, and they even have a honeymoon caboose! We stayed in Caboose Number 2. Inside, it was comfy and cozy. We could hear the clip-clop of horses' hooves, and see the Amish buggies go by from our window. I think more buggies went by than cars! After exploring the area around the hotel (they even have a cute little petting zoo), we went for a drive.  We love to drive around this area, and see all of the ...

Since I started learning about the Biblical Holidays about 11 (or 12?) years ago, every time one comes around I am amazed at how much these appointed times are teaching me.  I am growing and learning each time I celebrate one of these special, set-apart times, because each one is full of symbolism that reveals God's intricate plan, His wisdom, His goodness, and His unfathomable love for us. Over the years, these holy-days have set a new rhythm to my days, weeks, months, and years.  I am learning to center my life around what God wants, and what His plan is rather than my own. These "appointed times" ("moedim" in Hebrew) are spelled out in Leviticus 23, and can be found throughout the whole Bible. But there is an important time that is not mentioned in that passage, so it often gets overlooked. It plays an integral part in God's calendar, and He calls His people to celebrate it every month.  In Hebrew it is called Rosh Chodesh, which means the head of th...

A few months ago, my husband and I were in Baltimore for a couple of nights for a conference he had to attend for work, and while we were there we ate at a little Mediterranean restaurant called "Zaatar".  The food was delicious! We ordered an item on the menu called "zaatar pie", which turned out to be flatbread with olive oil and lot of zaatar seasoning, broiled until crispy. So yummy! Since then, I've been making it for us to enjoy at home. It's very easy. Simply drizzle and spread some olive oil on a piece of flatbread (naan, pita, or whatever), sprinkle zaatar seasoning on liberally, and broil in the oven until it's nice and crispy.   Zaatar (also spelled za'atar or zahatar) is a traditional Mediterranean spice mix that is usually made with thyme, oregano, marjoram, sumac, and sesame seeds. I love this combination, and I always keep some in my pantry. One of my new favorite quick dinners is zaatar pie alongside a quinoa vegetable chic...

I am one of those people who always has a song running through my head. Always. Ask me at any time, and I will tell you what song it is at the moment.  Songs even invade my dreams, and I always wake up with a song. I'm usually either singing, humming, whistling, or right on the verge of somehow bursting out in song.  I have loved to sing as long as I can remember. I have sung solos, in choirs, duets with my husband, and to my babies.  Singing has always been a part of my life.   Lately I have gained a new perspective on singing and music.  Have you ever thought of music as a form of prayer? In churches, the "worship service" is the music and singing part of the service, and we refer to a type of Christian music as "worship music", but it still never really occurred to me that music is an important part of prayer!   The subject of prayer has been on my mind, and so I've been studying a little bit about it.  Prayer is kind of a mystery to...

Once upon a time I had a little blog. I started it to keep far away family and friends updated on things that were happening in my life. Then, gradually, for no good reason at all, I stopped writing in it. I forgot about my little blog. I didn't forget about my far away family and friends, though, and now even more of my family is far away. So, I've decided to start again with a fresh, new blog, and here it is! Here I will share events, photos, recipes, and things I am learning, making, doing, and thinking. In this world of hashtags and statuses, I want to share a little more, and make connections that are a little bit deeper than a "like" or a "heart" while scrolling by.  I hope you will join me!