Spring langniappe from my house to yours ~ ShellieT

Hey friend! It’s ShellieT here with a host of different things on my mind, meaning today’s letter will be a little longer than normal. I have a Holy Week reading for you at the end, but first. Let’s chat…

I’ll begin with that intro. I started using ShellieT in social media posts and videos a while back to help readers remember where to find this little reading community of ours. Yes, you can still get to my website by using belleofallthingssouthern.com, the name I chose many moons ago when I first got into writing, my new publisher thought I needed a “brand name” and I had no idea what I was doing. (The more things change the more they stay the same, right?) Still, I think we can all agree it’s a mouthful! Hence, the use of my new URL: ShellieT.com. Feel free to use either. Both end up here at the same website, but the second one just rolls off the tongue, don’t you think? By the way, I usually send y’all a new year pic of our growing family and I neglected to do that, so here you go! 

I’m writing these words to you from my back porch. Spring has come to northeast Louisiana. Yay! Okay, okay, so Old Man Winter is finding it hard to let go. Nothing new there. Cold days keep getting stirred into the warm ones, but there’s no denying the signs of a new season. Fresh growth are all around us and the Beloved Farmer, together with our number one son and the hard-working men we employ at Tomlinson Farms, are geared up for planting season. It won’t be long before my local peeps will be moaning about the high temps! I won’t be one of them. I adore summer and being outdoors feeds my soul, which is why I take to my writing porch at the first opportunity.

Did I tell y’all about my word for 2024? I can’t remember, but it’s “value” and I don’t think of it as an expiring goal. It’s how I want to live the rest of my days. I want to live valuing people and bringing people value. Fairly simple when written down like that. Not quite as easy in the implementation. I tell you again, (or maybe for the first time), so I can tell you a story about one of my new fascinations. Skipping straight to the point, your happy hostess is into candle making! And by into I mean that I’m literally burning the candle at both ends to carve out time for this new pursuit. What with the 2024 speaking season in full swing, and all of my other roles and wife, daughter, mother, sister, grandmother, etc., there’s not tons of time left over for candle-making, but I haven’t let that stop me. I’m stubborn like that.

It’s funny. Had you told me a few months back that I’d fall in love with making candles, I would’ve smiled, maybe even laughed. It’s never been on my radar, until it was. But as I began to delve into the craft, I began to see God was connecting some dots in things He has been teaching me. The first hint was my realization that I wasn’t interested in mass producing candles out of cookie cutter containers. I like finding unique vessels for each one. That fit with my love of the Imago Dei (image of God) that everyone carries, which dovetailed with my longing to value people and bring them value. Still with me? I hope so. On top of all of that, I realized I didn’t want to use common scents. I wanted to create blends of my own with special meanings. The result? Sweet Aromas

 

I envision my candles coming with these words: Believer, you are a one of a kind vessel, fashioned in the Imago Dei. I pray that as you burn this candle, you’ll consider this truth. The incense of your yielded and worshipping life brings forth a sweet fragrance of Christ in this world revealing and glorifying God like no one who has ever come before you, and none who will come after you. This is your value. ~ShellieT

Here’s my unplanned plan—  I hope to have a few of my Sweet Aromas on my product table, unless I’m flying. I’m not planning to take orders, and I’m not concerned with quantity. I’ll make them as I find unique vessels that speak to me.

Whether it be music, words, and candles, planting a garden, or reimaging a room through a coat of paint, the act of creating is woven into our very being by the Great God that created us all. We’re meant to enjoy it! Have you given up on a creative endeavor you once pursued? Pick it back up! Is there something new you would like to learn to do? Take a step towards it today. Allow this little post to encourage you to follow that fascination. Don’t get paralyzed by not knowing how or what you’re doing, or even why you’re interested? God goes before you. 

Now, as promised, here’s a link to the Holy Week readings I’ve prepared for you. I’ll be posting each day’s reading on my social media accounts, but I wanted you to have it in whole, should you want to print it out. https://belleofallthingssouthern.com/seven-ways-jesus-words-on-the-cross-teach-us-to-live/

And here’s a second link to my tried and true Company Ham. https://belleofallthingssouthern.com/sugar-sweet-company-ham/

I always get recipe requests for it this time of year, so I’m getting a jump on it! Enjoy!

Until next time. May you enjoy the love of God, the grace of Christ Jesus, and the friendship of Holy Spirit.

Hugs, Shellie