Archive for the ‘Admiration Mondays’ Category

Admiration Monday: Bethany Stedman

July 26th, 2010

Haha. Yeah, you read that title right. Todays guest post is all about me.  I asked my dear friend, Carrie, to write a guest blog for me and told her that she could write about anything that she wanted. Carrie is probably my closest friend right now and my husband and I basically share a flat with her and her husband (although we each have our own private living spaces). Anyway, Carrie chose to add to my Admiration Monday series by writing a post about me. Admiration Mondays is a series I’ve been doing for a while with the idea that we all need to hear words of encouragement and get a little public recognition every now and then. I can’t even begin to tell you how humbled and honored I was by this post. And honestly I feel a little hesitant to post something like this about myself on my own blog. But, she wrote it to be shared publicly and Admiration Mondays are meant to be public statements. So… here it is. Thank you, my beautiful friend, for writing such sweet words of encouragement for me.

Good morning from Prague. I get to admire someone today that you also have “met”. Bethany Stedman. I am inspired by her and what she is exploring on this blog. Her passion for nutrition and creating good real food continues to fascinate me. I also really enjoy reading Bethany’s blog because I get to see a side of her that I usually don’t get to see. I usually see her early in the morning or late at night when I knock on her door to say hi. So I thought it would be good to introduce you to a side of Bethany that maybe you don’t know.

Just a bit of background….I met Bethany 3.5 years ago in Prague. And for Prague life that is a long time. The first time it hit me that we were going to be friends was maybe the 3rd or 4th time I saw her. It was at a friend’s baby shower. She arrived dressed like a pixie, with braided hair wrapped around her head and her camera. She hid behind her camera in those days, capturing the world around her to the delight of the rest of us. Since those times she has been a shoulder to cry on, a daily part of my life, and a real honest follower of God.

When someone meets Bethany they realize that they keep meeting her. Her treasures are deep and plentiful but not showy. I love this about Bethany. I love the way she offers herself to you simply and if you see it – you realize you are being handed gold. Her depth and ability unfold for you and await your discovery.

16647_165085583094_627823094_2753627_4663317_nI am learning so much from Bethany about loving husbands, entering motherhood, living purposefully, struggling with God. The quality of Bethany that perhaps stands out most to me is that when I am with her I sense I am in the presence of something real and tangible. It is a real moment. And I always feel seen and heard. It is hard to describe. There is something solid about Bethany. She doesn’t have an agenda for you and she doesn’t try and impress you. Bethany and her husband offer themselves to those they meet.

Bethany also is a woman of strength with a hidden ability to lead people into an encounter with God. When she is leading you in yoga there is a deep strength that you implicitly trust and want more of. Her beauty and depth brings favor to her husband, son, friends and community.

I admire her tremendous courage to engage head on, the ways she wants to raise her son even though some people might not understand. Even her decision to be in Prague at this point is made thoughtfully, weighing the costs.

I am also thankful for her acceptance of me in my most broken moments. Bethany is a strong broad tree that is only rising in glory and that will shade and nourish many people in the future.

The King’s favor rests on her.

Bethany is a rich gift to me and those she meets. I admire her so much.

A Prayer of Blessing for Bethany Stedman.

Circle Bethany, Jesus,
Keep peace within
and discouragement out.
Circle Bethany, Spirit,
May these days of travel be filled with rest and refreshment for her.
May all her days be filled with love and deep joy.
Circle Bethany, Father/Mother of us all,
Let her branches and root grow deep.

May her leaves and shade overflow into abundant fruit.
Circle Bethany, Jesus,
protect her deep heart,
guide her dreams,
quiet her insecurities.
Circle Bethany, Spirit,
Keep joy near,
and turmoil afar.
Circle Bethany, Father/Mother,
Nourish her being,
fill her heart and home with Life.
In the name of the eternal three in one,
Bless Bethany, that she might continue to bless others.
Amen.

carrieCarrie Ruth Schwender is called right now to a hold a place for God. This place is a hostel in Prague. She knows that she has only a few rohliky (Czech hotdog buns) to offer and that the great baker will have to fill the quota for the rest of the big order. She aspiries to live loved. That’s enough.

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Admiration Monday: Vina of A Nourishing Home

June 21st, 2010

Today I want to tell you about a woman who has constantly encouraged me over the past few months since I found her blog. So often when I read something Vina has written my heart and soul just sigh a deep, “YES!” I feel like I can relate to her on so many levels. Today I was reading the About page on her blog and all I could think as I read was, “I want to be her friend.”

Do you ever meet someone and just feel right away that they are a long lost “bosom friend” as Anne would say, an “anamchara” (soul friend) as the Celtic saints of old would call it. I’ve never really met Vina, but that’s how I feel when I read her blog. We could be friends; I wish we were friends, and not just blogger friends. She’s one of a very small handful of bloggers who I would love to actually meet – sit across the table from and learn from in person. Although, honestly, I probably would feel way to intimidated to really meet her in person.

Vina inspires me. She is thoughtful, intentional, and intuitive. Her posts are beautiful, insightful, and intelligent. She writes with clarity and purpose. She is relatable and doesn’t hide her own insecurities, or struggles. She describes herself as a “domestically-challenged-freak-of-nature” who sometimes forgets to brush her teeth and “doesn’t really notice the dust that accumulates on top of [the] furniture.” Oh, how I can relate!

I can also deeply relate to how she describes her beliefs. I’ll let her say it because she says it so well:

I am a follower of Jesus, but I don’t readily identify with mainstream American Christianity, nor am I a huge fan of institutions and organized religions. I believe that there is more to be learned from each other, more Wisdom we can ever possibly possess if we venture out of the confines of Tradition. I am more an advocate of mothering from the heart and of listening to our children. I like the idea of growing through motherhood and marriage more than perfecting my roles in either. I advocate questions and doubts alongside faith and trust. I have a need to look to the Creator and his entire creation as my Guide. I am hopeful that I can live out the messiness of my life in a beautiful way. I trust in Redemption. I want to learn from Life with grace and humility.

Isn’t that beautiful?

Vina is also someone I feel I could learn a lot from. I feel like I can learn a lot from her parenting style, her writing style, her marriage, and all of the little stories she shares. I can relate to Vina in “my own little quiet introverted intuitive feeling perceptive way” but I also feel like she is a bit farther along in the journey than I am, so there’s so much that I can learn from her.

She has four words that guide what she writes about and that influence the journey of becoming that she is on. They are Simplicity, Authenticity, Creativity, and Generosity. Here’s what she has to say about each of them:

Simplicity

I’ve grown quite a lot in simplicity the past few years especially after having lived overseas during my post-college years. It’s also my natural bent because I am an idealist at heart and I seek after the essence of things. I want to cut through the fluff, get down to the core of Life and live from the Center. Back to the Simple and the Basics, that is all.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Authenticity

Authenticity is something I am just beginning to grasp on a heart level. I’ve always known the kind of person I am, but only recently am I becoming truly comfortable in my own skin. To truly embrace who I am, the good and bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Because I’m all those things.

“This above all: To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day. Thou canst not then be false to any man.~ Hamlet, Shakespeare

Creativity

Along with that is a rediscovery of my creativity, embracing the artist and the child in me who I have lost somewhere in life. When I participate in the act of creating, I come alive. Part of our calling as human beings is to add to the Beauty in this world.

“Creativity is knowing how to hide your sources” – Albert Einstein
Generosity

And lastly, but not least is a journey towards generosity, an other-centered life. Simplicity, authenticity and creativity leads to abundance and when it overflows, it demands to be shared. I want our family to be a Life-giving force in this world. I am interested in looking at home management from a social justice and world perspective. How do our choices in our spending, eating and parenting affect the members of the bigger human family that we are all part of? How can we nourish our families in ways that are nourishing to the rest of the world as well?

“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(As a side note, just the fact that she included these quotes made me like her even more – I have a secret love for good quotes and have sort of collected them throughout the years).

Each of those words already had a special place in my heart before I ever discovered Vina’s blog and I really admire how she writes about them and the insight that she lends to them.

Last week Vina wrote this post about how she will be unplugging a bit for the summer. She has decided that she will be going “off the grid for the entire months of July and August except on Mondays.” On Mondays she’ll blog, comment, tweet, etc. But the rest of the summer she wants to spent time with her family and enjoy a little bit of an Internet Detox. I really admire this, and admire how she approaches unplugging for the summer. I so admire what she is doing for her heart and her family.

I unplugged from almost all social media and barely blogged at all through most of my pregnancy and firsts few months of motherhood. In many ways it was so good for me and exactly what I needed at that stage in my journey. But, lately, I’ve also been so glad to come back to it with full force.

I know from personal experience that when you don’t write often you start to lose traffic and subscribers. I don’t want that to happen to Vina and her beautiful blog. Vina is a writer who deserves to be read. So, even though she won’t be writing or commenting all that much this summer I really want to encourage all of my readers to go check out her blog. Look around, dig through her archives, read her about page, leave a comment, and SUBSCRIBE.

Vina is one of my all time favorite bloggers and I admire her so much.
A Prayer of Blessing for Vina of A Nourishing Home

Circle Vina, Jesus,
Keep peace within
and discouragement out.
Circle Vina, Spirit,
May these long days of summer be filled with laughter for her.
May all her days be filled with love and deep joy.
Circle Vina, Father/Mother of us all,
Sustain her growth in simplicity.
In authenticity, reveal to her new depths of herself, her daughter, her husband and You .
Inspire and breathe life into her creativity.
May her abundance overflow into abundant generosity.
Circle Vina, Jesus,
protect her deep heart,
guide her dreams,
quite her insecurities.
Circle Vina, Spirit,
Keep joy near,
and turmoil afar.
Circle Vina, Father/Mother,
Nourish her being,
fill her heart and home with Life.
In the name of the eternal three in one,
Bless Vina, that she might continue to bless others.
Amen.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Admiration Monday: Elizabeth Ramos

June 14th, 2010

Ok, today’s Admiration Monday post is actually about someone I don’t know all that well. Her name is Elizabeth Ramos and even though I just met her I think she ROCKS!

Elizabeth and her husband Andrew recently spent a month in Prague visiting some friends of theirs who happen to be good friends of ours. My husband hung out with them off and on throughout their trip and I had the pleasure of having dinner with them and also a little impromptu cheesecake picnic while they were here.

They are both wonderfully talented designers in Greenville, SC. Andrew focuses on designing logos and web sites and Lib focuses on print design. SIDE NOTE: I love Lib as a nickname for Elizabeth – I’ve heard Liz and Beth before, and I have a friend named Elizabeth that I call Ella, but I’d never heard Lib before and I think it’s really cute. Anyway, they both also run this beautiful company, Two over Zero.

I liked Lib from the start. She was very sweet and she asked great questions (a characteristic I personally love). I felt like we would have plenty in common if given the opportunity to get to know each other better. We bonded with Andrew and Lib while talking about creativity and starting your own business (my husband does web design, web implementation and SEO work). We connected over a shared interest in food. And we commiserated over our brown thumbs and ability to kill living plants, despite our desire to have a garden.

Lib has a beautiful blog show casing her latest projects and creative endeavors, and sharing her thoughts. Here’s just a little tidbit of how she describes herself on her blog:

“I love simple beauty: a handmade bag, the warm smell of home-baked cookies, and the thrill of a thrift-store find.”

Yes, Lib and I could be friends.

Sometimes meeting new people is a strange thing. It’s great to meet someone you think you could connect with, but sad when you know you won’t have opportunity to get to know that person and there’s a chance you’ll never see them again. This big wide world is an interesting place, isn’t it? With so many interesting people, spread all across the globe. It’s a weird thought to think that I may have kindred spirits whom I will never meet, or who upon meeting I will never meet again.

Well, to all of my fellow lovers of good design, simplicity, and beauty, I encourage you to head over to Lib’s blog, look around, and then head over to her etsy store and see the beautiful things she creates.

Oh, and if you are an artist living near Greenville, SC, check out this amazing project Lib is starting. It’s called The Indie Craft Parade.  It’s “a juried art market, catering to independent artisans and their handcrafted goods.” You can apply to participate any time before June 18th at midnight (EST). It looks like it’s going to be an amazing event.

A Blessing for Lib:

Circle Lib, Father.
Keep joy near
and discouragement afar.
Circle Lib, Lord.
May she continue to see beauty in the simple.
May she find you in all beauty.
Circle Lib, Spirit.
Bless her envisioning and her creating.
Bless her work and her play.
Circle Lib, Father.
When self doubts creep in, push them out.
When vision fades into hard work, give her strength.
When imagination fails, bring to her inspiration.
Circle Lib, Lord.
Keep peace within
and discouragement out.
Circle and sustain Lib, Spirit,
In the name of the eternal three.
Amen.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Admiration Mondays: Brie Endicott

June 7th, 2010

endicott familyToday’s post is about a person who is very special to me, my sister.

When Brie and I were younger we didn’t always get along. We were only 13 months apart in age and we often competed with each other and got jealous of one another other. Our relationship didn’t fit the big-sister/little-sister picture and we didn’t always have common interests. As we have grown though our relationship has also grown and changed. I can now say that my sister is not only my sister, she is a dear friend who I have missed every day since coming back to Prague.

I think there has been a part of me that has always admired my sister. I’ve admired her guts and gusto, her beauty and energy, her ability to talk with anyone and her ease in meeting new people. These are things I have both admired and been jealous of at times.

My sister is one of the most beautiful women I know. She always has been. She’s attractive, and she constantly had a slew of guys pursuing her. She’s fun and energetic, vivacious and creative. She was always up on the latest trend and the newest fashion and now that she’s a mom she’s the perfect person to go to when you want to know what brand of stroller is the best and what diaper bag is going to be the most stylish.

One of the things I love about my sister is she is just fun to be with. We can still giggle like school-girls together over desert, she always has a good story to tell and she’s up for almost anything. But, I’ve also realized as we’ve gotten older that she can be trusted with deep secrets and that she is a great person to go to when you just need to vent. She’ll listen and understand and she won’t judge you.

Most of all, though, I admire the mom my sister has become. Like all mothers she’s not perfect, but she’s one of the best mom’s I know. She loves her children so much and does so much for them each and every day. My sister’s kids are all incredibly close in age, with the first two only 16 months apart, and that can be so difficult and taxing, but she has handled it with incredible grace and beauty.

I loved that when I became a mom my sister went above and beyond to support and help me. She told me her little breastfeeding tricks, gave me advice about birth and pregnancy, gave me maternity cloths, cloths for the baby, toys for the baby, really she gave me gift after gift after gift. Her generosity and grace towards me was boundless and I’m not sure I would have been able to make it through the difficult first days of motherhood without her.

What really amazed me was that she did it all, was constantly providing for my needs as a new mother, while also caring for her three children and husband, moving out of their house and helping my mom host a rather large family Christmas. She never ran out of energy, she never dropped a ball. My sister is organized, and knows how to get things done. She’s loyal and faithful to do what she says she will do. She amazes me all the time.

I think every new mom needs someone in their lives like my sister. They need a mommy friend who’s just a little bit ahead of them, who can show them the ropes, help them out at the beginning and give them the encouragement they need. For me that person has been my sister and I’m so glad that it has. I feel like I have gotten to see my sister and all that she is and does with new eyes since becoming a mom and it makes me admire her so much.

I miss you, Brie, and can’t wait to see you next month!


A Prayer for Brie Endicott:
Circle Brie, Father,
when children scream, and baby’s poo and things break,
give her peace to rise above it all and respond with grace.
Circle Brie, Father,
when the mundane tasks of the day pile up,
give her truth to know that the work she is doing in her children’s lives is infinitely valuable.
Circle Brie, Father,
when she feels alone and overwhelmed,
surround her with people who love her and will encourage her.
Circle Brie, Father,
bless her as she has blessed me and so many others.
Father, Circle Brie,
Keep peace within
and turmoil out.
The eternal Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
shield Brie on every side. Amen.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Admiration Mondays: Shell Walker

May 31st, 2010

I had very definite ideas of what I wanted the birth of my first child to look like. And I had very specific ideas for what I was looking for in a doctor/midwife. In the first five months of my pregnancy I visited three different gynecologists and interviewed three midwives. Shell was the third midwife I spoke to and when we met her we knew we had found a good match. In some ways Shell was different then I envisioned, she had some spunk to her that I hadn’t really thought of when I envisioned my ideal midwife, but now her spunk is one of the things I love most about her.

There’s a quote from a 16th century midwifery text that says this:

“A Midwife Should Possess A Lady’s Hand, A Hawk’s Eye and A Lion’s Heart”

That is a great way to describe Shell. She has a lady’s hand. She is gentle and kind, compassionate and open.

She has a hawk’s eye. She is ready for whatever happens. She is experienced, intelligent and sharp.

And she has a lion’s heart. She is passionate and energetic. She is strong and powerful. She leads well when needed, but never steps on anyone’s toes and absolutely never forces anything on anyone.

Shell Walker is truly captivating. Shell is one of those people who the more you get to know her, the more interesting she is. Each time we talked with Shell we found out new things about her and I was always so inspired and amazed. She has done so many things and learned from so many disciplines. She is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced. She is professional and her care is comprehensive. I felt like I could trust her completely.

Even with all of her expertise I never felt like she pushed her own ideas or knowledge on my husband and me. She ALWAYS gave us space to make decisions for ourselves. She really let us have the birth that we wanted and allowed us to guide our own birth experience. But, when we weren’t sure about a decision we could ask Shell about it and know that she would give us an informed and balanced opinion – I loved that I could make my own decisions and lead my birth process, and that I also felt completely comfortable deferring to her when I needed to. I felt like Shell gave us the perfect balance of freedom and direction. She was available and knowledgeable and ready to step in if needed or wanted, but when not needed she was able to step aside and let us lead the way.

Shell spent hours and hours with us before the birth and after the birth, not to mention the all-nighter she pulled with us during the actual labor. I felt like she was completely available to us. If we had a question or concern we could, call, text, or email and she would always respond promptly. Even when I was in Prague, and seeing another midwife for my prenatal care, Shell was still hands-on and available to me. I never felt rushed with her. Instead I felt like each time I was with her she wanted to be with me too. It was such a different experience from a normal doctor!

After having gone through a birth with Shell I feel like she is more than just my “care provider”. I feel like she knows me, I feel like she really cares for me. She is my midwife, in all of the most intimate and beautiful meanings of the word. I feel so grateful that I was able to have her beside me holding my hand and supporting me through the most amazing, awe-inspiring, difficult, and beautiful experience of my life.

A Little Blessing for Shell:

Spirit, circle Shell.
Keep comfort near
and discouragement afar.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Bless the hands that deliver life into the world.
Bless the hands that encircle and hold so many women through the biggest change of their lives.
Bless the hands that give strength when strength is needed, direction when confusion floods the heart, and support when weakness presses in.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Bless the work she is doing to create a safe, peaceful space for women to bring forth life.
Spirit, circle Shell.
May she be as blessed and encouraged by the mothers she walks beside as I know they are by her.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Mother her as she has mothered so many.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Keep peace within
and turmoil out.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Keep hope within
and disappointment without.
Keep light near
and darkness afar.
I bless you, Shell, midwife and sister,
in the name of the Holy Three,
the Father, the Son and the Sacred Spirit.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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