Christmas Memories
A Christmas wreath hangs in the window of the original site of the Enchanted Cottage in Lewisville, North Carolina.
Thoughts of Family
The final photos I’ll share from the recent snowfall were taken at the site of the old mill in Lewisville, now primarily occupied by the Enchanted Cottage, a popular rubber stamping, scrapbooking and papercrafts business.
My fascination with the mill goes back to my childhood, when I used to play there with my younger brother, Ed. Our grandfather, Fielden H. Jennings, Sr., owned the mill. Several of my uncles and my mother, Grace, the youngest of ten children, helped run the family business for almost 60 years.
In fact, my mother was born in the old “cottage” next to the mill. A year after her birth, the family moved into their new brick home next door. (For more on the history of my family’s association with the mill, please read the article on Lewisville Roller Mills.)
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My Mother’s Rose
For Mother's Day, a red rose signifies respect and undying love.
A Tradition
Here in the South, it has long been a tradition to wear a rose on Mother’s Day. According to tradition, if one’s mother is no longer living, the rose should be white. And if one’s mother is still alive, the rose should be red.
For this Mother’s Day, I’m thankful to be displaying a red rose in honor of my mother, who — like so many mothers throughout the ages — has always demonstrated unwavering love for her children. CLICK for more on My Mother’s Rose
Lessons from a Llama
A llama in Lewisville, North Carolina appears to bask in the light of a brilliant sunset.
Stunning Discovery
I might never have shown you this photo had it not been for a conference I recently attended called “Shame Off You.” The conference, held at Reynolda Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, addressed the symptoms of and the path toward freedom from the effects of shame.
Led by Senior Pastor, Alan D. Wright, the conference was based on Pastor Wright’s book, Shame Off You. One of the “quizzes” we conference attendees took contained 24 statements that we were to mark as either “true” or “false.”
Once everyone had completed the questionnaire, Pastor Wright informed us that all of the statements were “false.” I was stunned because I had marked 20 of the 24 statements as “true.” Simply stated, those 20 statements represented false assumptions that I’ve built my life upon. One of those assumptions is:
“Perfect is always better than good.”
I’m slowly realizing that if I continue to measure my work, my goals, my relationships, and even myself against a self-constructed model of perfection, I’ll miss out on the “good” opportunities that will come my way. While I accept this concept in theory, in reality, it’s not easy to implement.
This “perfection” issue surfaced again this week when I considered whether to share the above photo with you.
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Barren Beauty
In the winter, the old home place at Westbend Vineyards, with its red roof, can be spotted in the distance through the barren woods while driving on Shallowford Road.
Vigilance
I continue to be amazed by moments of beauty — beautiful moments that exist even on a seemingly ordinary winter day in a seemingly ordinary small town.
Quite often, though, seeing beauty in the ordinary is not easy. Vigilance is required in order to see through the everydayness of our lives to behold the beauty that’s truly there — whether the beauty is to be found in a landscape, an individual or a concept.
Barrenness
I think I was drawn to the above scene because of the beauty of its barrenness. There is no foliage to cover the tree’s imperfections or the decaying effects of time. The grass and shrubbery around the tree are dormant and brittle. The few leaves still left on the tree are shriveled and barely hanging on.
Yet the tree stands tall in the light, as if willing to be seen for what it is.
Parable
Perhaps the barren tree is a parable of how to live life: Without pretense. Willing to stand in the light and be seen. On a path of growth, despite imperfections and the decaying effects of time. Able to bare one’s soul, despite dormant and brittle circumstances. Hanging onto truth through seasons of doubt.
Be sure to check out other Westbend Vineyards articles featured on this website.
