Paris: Always a City of Light

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September 2015 Paris

I took this photo on September 13th from the window of the apartment I was staying in with friends in the 7th arrondissement. Shortly after, we took a bottle of champagne to the Eiffel Tower and popped it open right as the lights display began. We were surrounded by people doing the same and when the lights kicked on, the reaction was cheering, clapping, people hugging, kissing, celebrating. It wasn’t a special night per se. The Eiffel Tower glitters with light every night from 9pm to 1am but there is an undercurrent of joy, of celebration, of togetherness that pulses through Paris and it feels natural to let that undercurrent carry you. So… Champagne. Hugging. Toasting. Together.

Obviously, 2 months after this photo was taken was a very different scene in Paris and it goes without saying that the terror attack that unfolded on Friday was horrific and evil and many, many thoughts and prayers have been with the victims and their families ever since.

I leave this here with the sentiment that there is no darkness that can stifle the light of a community, of a culture that carries it with them so strongly as the people of Paris do. Paris is and will always be the City of Light.

Boston Strong

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Sending lots of love, wishes for fast feet and a safe race to Boston today!

Running can be a solitary endeavor but I think it’s safe to say that not a single person running the Boston Marathon today will be doing it alone- the entire country has each and every participant in their hearts today.

Today, just like last year, we’re all Boston Strong. Go get ’em, runners!

Illumine Chicago

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This is Lourdes (isn’t she so beautiful??) and last night was a big celebration for her- it was the launch of her magazine! Illumine Chicago is a magazine dedicated to yoga and wellness in Chicago. This yoga community is amazing and when Lourdes saw the opportunity to create a space to unite, celebrate and share that community, she put out the call and attracted some of the brightest writers, photographers and editors in the city, they connected with people making an impact and boom- Illumine Chicago’s premier issue is out.

It’s a beautiful publication and I am always so moved when I see people identifying a need in the community and using their passions to fill it. I first met Lourdes 4 years ago when I took her class- not only was the class amazing but you just knew that this woman was a gift to everyone who rolled out their mat in her studio. Congratulations to Lourdes and her team- thank you for taking the home you’ve created in Chicago yoga and sharing those gifts with all of us.

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The Internet Wins Today

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There’s a lot of negative we can say about this age of immediate information, immediate communication, the now-now-now that we live in due to technology. And I agree with it a lot of the time. But not today. No, not today.

This is a picture of my friend Rosemary and her husband Mark at our apartment when they came over for coffee last December. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who likes Rosemary- people LOVE Rosemary. In fact, to say that I love her is about as original as saying the sky is blue or donuts are delicious- loving Rosemary is simply a matter of fact. She is kind, an exceedingly generous listener and time with her is like one big hug that reminds you that the world is good and good people are in it. She is the good people.

Rosemary created a blog several months after being diagnosed with ALS this winter to share her experience in this new path but also to share the love stories of her life- her husband, her children and her friends. This blog is art. It’s real and raw and honest in a way words can only be when they come directly from the heart with no filter, no ego, no edits. Just a drive to share her love and her stories.

Yesterday, a family friend who is building a Chairiot so that Rosemary can enjoy the hiking trails she loves when she is no longer able to walk started a Fundrazr page to raise money to cover labor and materials for this special project. When I donated 4 hours after the page was launched, nearly 50% of the goal had been reached. Now, only 24 hours later, double the goal has been raised. As I said before, people love this incredible woman and through the power of the interwebs and ability to immediately know what could be done to support, her community was able to put their love into action. 24 hours and people quite literally from all over the world sent hugs and love to this amazing woman. Rosemary will have her Chairiot and, more than likely, an army of people wanting to share a hike (and wine and cheese) with her.

I guess that’s the thing: when you love life as much as Rosemary does, life has a way of loving you back. Which it did. Today. Fiercely. In the form of an idea, a website and a whole lot of beautiful people.

Bread & Wine: A Review

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I loved author Shauna Niequist’s Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet because reading them felt like sitting down with a girlfriend over coffee and digging into those things in life that we celebrate, those that we mourn, the lessons we’ve learned and the faith that holds it all together. In reading Shauna’s third literary gem, we’re switching from coffee to wine and shifting the conversation to the relationships that make up a life and the meals that happen along the way.

To be clear: transitioning from coffee to wine is always fine by me.

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes explores through a collection of essays what it means to be nourished on the inside and out and how through our relationship with God, we end up nourishing those around us. They say that life is what happens while you’re making other plans and through Shauna’s incredibly relatable writing, she shares the life that happens while you’re sitting around your table. While filled with some seriously delicious recipes, this is not a cookbook. The recipes act as place markers almost- the food made meaningful by the experience surrounding it. And the experiences surrounding the food are beautiful opportunities to celebrate the way God teaches and feeds us as we, in turn, teach and feed, figuratively and otherwise, those around us.

Bread & Wine feels very full circle to me. With Cold Tangerines, I shamelessly said “Me too!” to Shauna’s quest for celebrating the joy in everyday life. By Bittersweet, I needed the voice that gently reminded me that there are two side of the joy coin and I could sit with the side that hurt without having to pretty anything up; that God’s grace was more present than ever. Bread & Wine opened me up to the possibility that simply showing up and starting where I am is exactly what God created me for and how I will best serve my community, around my table and otherwise.

So, cheers and bon appetit- Bread & Wine is sure to fill you up, in more ways than one.

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Bread & Wine in 3 Parts

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I’ve been in a season of “enough”. Strong enough, good enough, enough time, enough energy, enough sleep, you name it. I travel frequently for work and when packing for a trip a few weeks ago, the idea of not having enough room in my bag was, oddly, more than I could handle and I forfeited my usual small cross-body bag for a new, much larger one. With this cavernous bag now at my disposable, I could cast off some of my “enough” worries and bring in more of what I needed. Like my advance copy of Bread & Wine..

I planned on waiting until I was situated on the balcony of my hotel room at the base of the gorgeous Catalina foothills to crack open the cover but it turns out that 3 hours on a plane sandwiched between 2 people with no regard for personal space was the perfect time to read Bread and Wine. This book would have been perfection had I read it on the moon. Peanuts for lunch was a far cry from the incredible recipes author Shauna Niequist shares in the book but what really filled me up was her words, the stories of the community she has cultivated through time around her table. She is deeply passionate about connection and the life that happens around food and around our tables. After reading the last chapter, all feelings of “enough” had disappeared and been replaced with some serious inspiration. Creating community is about showing up as you are, finding your people and nurturing those relationships. There’s no room for enough when you’re talking about love. I feel the most whole, the most at home around a table with people I love and to read a book that speaks to that made me feel deeply heard and connected to communities around tables I have never seen.

Bread & Wine comes out in a few weeks and to celebrate its release, I am doing a 3-part series this week. You’re looking at the intro, tomorrow is the review and on Wednesday, we’re making some magic happen in my kitchen (seriously, magic).

It’s worth saying that all opinions are 100% my own and my wholehearted support of Bread & Wine is just that. Shauna’s books have made a big difference in my life over the last 5 years and I am thrilled to share Bread & Wine with you!