Life with Sally

"Cheers, friends! Sit down and rest a spell!" My grandmother used to say when we came to her house. Always a welcome, always a cheery wish for us to take time for a visit, a time to chat, a time to be friends. So, today, sit down and rest a spell. You will be so glad you did.

Do you have a friend whose story has encouraged or inspired you because of her knowledge and love of God?

We were made for companionship, community, close friendship. We are happier deep down, flourish more, grow stronger in every way when we have a close friend standing with us in life.

Today, we talk of the lovingkindness of God—the term comes from Chesed , the Hebrew term which meant to give oneself fully, generously, with love and compassion.

It was a fun week! I met with our editor of Victoria Magazine with a lovely traditional tea.

Today, on Tea Time Tuesday, I speak of one of my favorite children's authors and illustrators, a new recipe, the profound influence of music on our brains, beauty as something that lowers adrenalin and the ways of rhythms in life.

Don't you think that God meant for us to go outside, to take naps under budding trees, to breathe in pleasure when everything is alive and inviting after a long hard winter? An overwhelming desire to escape is rushing through every molecule of my being.

The power of returning spring is unstoppable, as though God's song refuses to be quieted.

Mothers were uniquely created to create goodness and calm chaos, to kindle hope, and foster faith. We are the beauty bringers and soul shapers of our homes and our communities.

When we add up a life of faithfulness in serving God, accumulating maturity, grace, knowledge, wisdom, failure, forgiveness, compassion—it is thousands of moments of choosing to practice persevering, one moment at a time.

Rainy days will come, but the way you handle them will determine your ability to keep going forward.

I pray that this book will refresh you in your ideals and give you a sense of why bringing rhythms of grace regularly into your life will help you keep steadfast in your meaningful work of mentoring, loving, serving and praying for those in your personal life and story.

I have been through so many seasons, but I have learned how to keep going forward, by God's grace. I pray you are encouraged in your own season of giving yourself to your ideals.

Teatime Discipleship is about the hospitality one friend offers another, to link arms, to say, "I am here for you" in a world that is draining and isolating.

Each of us is designed by God to whisper His words to the hearts of our children so they will feel the call of God in their own lives to become "fishers of men."

Sometimes a girl needs a little spoiling. Just a fun, special tea time with a dear friend can pick me up! Like the Dowager Countess can say, "Well, there is nothing else to be done. Let's have tea."

If you are experiencing weariness and discouragement, it signifies you are engaged in the battle. Join me today to find some answers to bring peace to the trenches of life.

If you have a vision for being steadfast into old age, you have an intrinsic strength to make it through all the years and seasons. Ponder your life through all the seasons, friends, and know you are living your story you will tell to generations.

Life is a marathon. Keep your legacy going. My friends, never give up, never give in. Your labor is not in vain. You matter.

Don't we all need the world to go away for just a few? So, take time today for a cuppa and close the world out in your mind and breathe in peace. 

I wrestled with my faith over years, but in doing so, I came to a deeper understanding of this fallen world, the nature of evil, that God's light was stronger than the darkness, that we are all heading to a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Often, people ask what drew our family close, that built a common legacy of ideals, the foundation that made all of us writers, and cultivated the kind of faith that lives in all of us today. Our souls were shaped by the daily rhythms of gathering, eating meals together, sharing in deep fellowship as a regular habit.

We must not give in to the dark side, that creates the cacophony to blot out all of the alluring, heavenly music of His voice, words. May God grant us ears to hear, hearts to listen.

Today, I have so many fun subjects on Tea Time Tuesday. Of course music for this season of Lent, food from Mary Barry, who used to be on The Great British Bakeoff, and so much more.

No two families are alike. No two children are alike. They develop at different times, have different fingerprints, differing personalities, different looks and DNA—God made them to be unique. And He did not intend for us to worry if we were doing enough at every stage of life.