Little Sacred Spaces

    Valentine's Day is celebrated throughout the month of February with red roses, hearts, and chocolates.   Traditionally it is the celebration of romantic love, but children exchange valentines at school, and many people send cards to family and friends. This year I decorated with symbols of every kind of love!     Many years ago, Mark spent ten days in the Dominican Republic as a medical missionary. While he was there he bought the statue of a man and woman kissing. Obviously, that is my symbol of romantic love, but it also represents the love of art.      The angel playing a violin represents divine love as well as the love of music. The heart-shaped earth symbolizes love for the entire world.       On the tree hangs a heart ornament with two deer representing love for the animal world. The snowflake represents water and the uniqueness of all the people and things we love. The cardinal reminds us of our love of birds. ...

     You are probably familiar with the terms, "everyday sacred" and "be here now." That is what the favorite chair is about. Many homes have a favorite chair - where the home dweller sits with a cup of coffee in the morning, to read a devotional and contemplate plans for the day. Then to sit with a cup of tea in the afternoon, to relax and focus on "being in the now." In the evening, with a glass of wine, to share our thoughts with a loved one - who wasn't so fortunate to get the favorite chair for our conversation!      Several years ago we replaced an old wing chair with this much more comfortable polka-dot recliner. I chose this upholstery because I was ready to add some pizazz to our old-fashioned country decor. It immediately became the favorite chair for everyone in the family and every visitor to our home.      Back when the chair was new, our daughter and her family lived with us for a few months while they were in transition. Our gr...