The Sunday Brunch 9/12

Welcome to our first edition of The Sunday Brunch. Each Sunday we want to bring a small devotion and discussion, some cool things to do and a fun recipe for your family to enjoy some time together. This week we have a beautiful poem from Mary Oliver, a fun booklist, Spotify Playlist and a delicious Peach Crisp.

The past year and a half has been hard. Many of us have lost friends and family and struggle everyday with what to do with our grief. When you are in the middle of a dark grief of the soul, sometimes the most comforting thing you can feel is someone’s understanding. Someone who helps you feel seen and reminds you that you’re not alone in this season of loss. 


Mary Oliver is a poet who understood grief all too well. Her words serve as a comfort to other hurting souls who are in the thick of their pain. If you are in a season of sadness, please know that I am aching alongside you. I hope her words can be a flicker of hope for your heart as well. Here are a few Mary Oliver poems to soothe our souls in any season of suffering. 

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​HEAVY
That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying
 
I went closer,
and I did not die.
Surely God
had his hand in this,
 
as well as friends.
Still, I was bent,
and my laughter,
as the poet said,
 
was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel
(brave even among lions),
“It is not the weight you carry
 
but how you carry it--
books, bricks, grief--
it’s all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it
 
when you cannot, and would not,
put it down.”
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?
 
Have you heard
the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?
 
How I linger
to admire, admire, admire
the things of this world
that are kind, and maybe
 
also troubled--
roses in the wind,
The sea geese on the steep waves,
a love
to which there is no reply?

Family Time

• Read the poem out loud
• Be mindful in the moment: how does this poem make you feel? What does it stir up?
• How has your family handled grief this past year? Take a few moments today to remember loved ones and friends you've lost. 
• Yesterday was the 20 year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. If your kids are old enough and saw those events play out on TV take some time to talk about what happened and give them room to ask questions. If they are younger and have seen those images recently take some time to discuss what happened.
• If you know of someone who has lost family recently take a few moments to pray for them and maybe write a card or even call/facetime them to check and see how they are doing.

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PEach Crisp Recipe

Peach Crisp

6 peaches, chopped or sliced (peeled, optional)
1/2-2/3 c brown sugar (depending on sweetness of peaches)
2 tbs cornstarch

Mix together in a large bowl and set aside an hour prior to baking. Preheat oven to 350°, then dump peaches into a large pie dish and spread evenly. 

3/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Mix flour, butter, cinnamon and salt in a bowl, then fold in the oats. Sprinkle on top of peaches and press in gently. Bake for 30-35 minutes and let cool slightly before serving. Topping will crisp as it cools.

Sunday Brunch Playlist

Sunday Brunch Reading List

Here are some great books for a lazy Sunday afternoon:

Non -Fiction
Everything Is Spiritual - Rob Bell
The God Equation - Michio Kaku
Happiness - Thich Nhat Hanh
Mary Magdalene Revealed - Meggan Watterson

Fiction
The Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie
The Man in the Iron Mask - Alexandre Dumas
The Secret Life Of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd

Books to Read With your Kids
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe
Prince Caspian - C. S. Lewis
The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams
Where The Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak