I am excited to join Becky Eldredge and friends as a regular contributor to the blog “Into the Deep: Exploring Ignatian Spirituality through the Voices of Women”. This month’s blog series focuses on the grace we pray for in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises: to know, to love, and to follow Jesus!

I sat down to enjoy a delicious homemade meal, expertly prepared in a tiny kitchenette in the studio apartment where I was staying. My love of cooking stems from a long lineage of good cooks, and it keeps me connected to my farm-girl roots. I was taking some personal retreat days, and I had wandered over to the local farmer’s market to pick up fresh chicken and vegetables. I had endless time to linger over a white wine reduction sauce, as I sautéed garden fresh green beans in an electric skillet. It was a feast for one, prepared with the barest of essential kitchen tools.
With the table set and wine poured, I paused to pray a blessing over my meal. In that brief moment of silence, I could sense God smile and say, “This is so YOU!” as if God knew the immense joy preparing a home cooked meal brought me. [Continue reading…]