end of an era

Last night marked the end of a personal era--the vanilla homemaker era. Over a year ago, my friend Jean from work gave me a large bottle of Mexican vanilla (which I've heard may not be so good for you??) as a farewell gift when I quit my job as chaplain. When I went back to work seven weeks later as a two-day-a-week job-sharing-chaplain, this mostly-full bottle was a great source of consolation for me. I knew that even when times were slim due to my "quitting" my job, my family would have vanilla for cookies, pudding and whatnot. And so I have thanked Jean with each teaspoon and have flavored liberally, often throwing in two teaspoons for the recommended one. But good things come to an end so that new things can be born. And now I am in the market for a new bottle of vanilla. This one will also symbolize my new life as a homemaker. But it will be a more confident bottle. One I can look at and say, "I had vanilla last year. I have vanilla this year. In the life I am choosing, I will have vanilla or, if I don't, I will have all I need."

I close with a photo from Sleeping with Bread, one of my favorite books. It has helped me so much as the last two years have unfolded.