Author: debanncuster

“In the Bleak Midwinter,” rendition by Julia Bloom https://open.spotify.com/track/4Zsq1ULPQoX3vVuM3DHyuu?si=frCQXUMnQ0-X9g4vGCjYwg&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A3BBucEuF6lhWhzsq9djuZs   “In the bleak mid-winterFrosty wind made moanThe earth stood hard as ironWater like a stoneHow snow had fallenSnow on snow on snowIn the bleak mid-winterLong, long agoWhat can I give himPoor as I am?If I were a shepherd I would bring a lambAnd if I… Continue reading An Unhurried Hallow: Love

“Darkness was cheap,and Scrooge liked it.”Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol “The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.”~Psalms 18:28~ Traditionally, our third candle is pink, the liturgical color that represents joy. The third Sunday in Advent has been referred to as Gaudete Sunday. As Philippians 4:1 admonishes us: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will… Continue reading An Unhurried Hallow: Joy

An Unhurried Hallow:  Peace “Peace I leave with you; my peace I given you.I do not give to you as the world gives.Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”~John 14:27~ “Above all, trust in the slow work of God.We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without… Continue reading An Unhurried Hallow: Peace

“We are so attached to…our fast, experiential, adrenaline-addicted culturethat we confidently call physical spikes energy and spiritual spikes inspiration.”~ABC, The Sacred Slow, p. 3~ And in the early morning,while it was still dark,He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place,and was praying there.~James 4:8~ What am I looking for? I thought, as… Continue reading An Unhurried Hallow: Hope

“G is for garlicO let us gush!In praise and thanksgivingFor the savory rush!”~Shelley Cramm~https://www.gardenindelight.com/40-cloves-garlic-poem/ I practically drooled at the rustic image in front of me as I stood in the mud room, chatting with my friend about her garlic! Bunches of garlic hung drying, draped over a couple laundry racks. I had not ever planted… Continue reading Garlic

“I am like a little child;I don’t know how to do what must be done…I ask that you give me a heart that understands…”~1 Kings 3:7, 9 NCV~ ~Proverbs 1:1-7~ “An aristocratic herb with a savory flavor and hidden tang” (Lesley Bremness, The Complete Book of Herbs, p.165), tarragon is an essential ingredient in French… Continue reading Tarragon

https://youtu.be/eKcImiTxqKg?si=_hyjqzyh035tHo9_   “Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead.Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”~Deuteronomy 6:8 CSB~ “This observance will be for you like a sign on your handand a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord… Continue reading Write Your Story

“Could we but live more entirely in the unseen Presence,and trust to the unseen support,—and if lonely, or disappointed, or depressed, turn more quickly to God, fully confident of His all-embracing care…how different life would be from what it ordinarily is!”~T.T. Carter~ “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never… Continue reading Sunflower

My meditation of Him shall be sweet;I will be glad in the Lord.~Psalm 104:34~ “The spirit of offense will give to youthe ability to hear things that were not said.”“The Power is in Priorities: Success Without Sorrow”~Bill Johnson~ This meadow herb was historically used for strewing at weddings and making bridal garlands, due to its… Continue reading Meadowsweet

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.~Psalm 51:7~ Sweet marjoram…is more than oregano’s understudy.~Su-Jit Lin~ Marjoram, a magnet for bees, butterflies and insects, is also a culinary delight in the kitchen. Considered to be a wild cousin of oregano, marjoram truly takes center stage with… Continue reading Marjoram