Seeing, smelling, tasting, experiencing all the many joys of fall – sparks in me a joy like no other time of the year. Living through the heat of the summer and the kids being back in school, something inside me longs to be refreshed & renewed. The first sight of a pumpkin, cooler air or changing of the trees, my heart leaps within.
I have gone back and forth over the last year on whether I should start a blog or not. After friends and family have asked me to jot down ideas or share my thoughts on different experiences, I decided today to take the plunge. I don’t offer anything new or claim to have anything profound to share – just me on a blog. My heart in starting this blog is just to share life experiences and hopefully offer encouragement to those traveling through life in a similar place. Each of us are unique and gifted in how God made us – this site is just a snapshot of my heart and the things I learn and enjoy as I embrace each day God gives me.
The blog name – The Sweet Leaf – came to me when I was looking back at a family photo taken in our backyard in TN in 2006. By cursory glance at the photo, it may look like any other family photo taken to freeze-frame the joy of colored leaves in one’s backyard…which is partly true. To me, I see a family trying to embrace a moment. We were grieving the final days of fall in our TN home that we would soon leave, we were grieving the loss of our sweet baby, Aurea Hope, only weeks before, Chris (my husband) was racing in from a meeting so we could snag one photo before the rains came and the leaves fell outside, a child with fever, a child without a nap, and a child just woken up from a nap – the normalcy of life, right? So many times I try to snap the best family photo to capture our sweet family perfectly for the years to come – but why? This photo tells a story – this photo illustrates to me – we don’t have it all together, and its okay. This photo is one of my absolute favorites. Life is messy and beautiful all at the same time. My hope is that The Sweet Leaf blog will be a place you can hear life stories, snag a few family recipes or ideas and take encouragement in the ever-changing seasons of life.
Welcome to The Sweet Leaf! I hope you enjoy!
