Life Stew

Life stew means a medley of different things all going on at the same time. Fear and joy and grief and happiness. All mixed in a pot that makes up each day.

Yesterday I found out that my third grandchild is a boy. My younger daughter, who has been married for 11 years, is having her first child.

In life stew, this is a plant with delicate purple flowers in a white egg cup

With Time Comes Change:

After many years of thinking she just wanted to be a career woman, she and her husband changed their minds. The baby is due in March. So there is joy and much to look forward to.

While one child is on top of the world, the other one struggles. In the continuum of life, there always seem to be opposite forces at work.

A seesaw that is never balanced.

Top Pinner In Oklahoma:

In other news, a few weeks ago I learned I was the top Pinterest pinner in Oklahoma. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How have I managed to spend so much time on Pinterest?

Best Pinterest Boards

It read: Cozy Kitchens (7000 followers) – Brenda Kula’s cozylittlehouse.com spills out all over Pinterest, and people love it.  Think your favorite auntie’s take on Southern Living.

Okay, so now I’m your favorite auntie’s take on Southern Living. I chuckled when I read that.

When Life Hands You Lemons:

Every single day, life hands us apples with one hand and lemons with the other.

In one area of your life, you’re overjoyed with expectations. In another, grief hangs over you like a cloud. All at the same time. Coming from different directions.

I call this Life Stew. All mixed together in a big pot, being continuously stirred.

Purple lavender growing in a field

The Loss Of My Blog Posts:

I lost all my blog posts in late July, and so I had to start all over again. As in all my prior blog posts went up in a puff of smoke.

I was forced to start at the start over. Just like a brand new blogger.

Yet some opportunities have come my way, regardless. So just when you think all is lost, you find out it is just the beginning of better things to come.

Stir the pot.

You never know what a day, a week, a month will bring your way. But the important thing is that you live life to the fullest today. With every fiber of your being.

Superficial Grievances:

Let the insignificant grievances go. Just let it go.

Regret is a word that essentially means we keep reliving something we can’t change. It is useless and robs us of time doing happier things.

Whatever you do, don’t let what happened yesterday taint today. Do what you can, and then put it to rest.

Because none of us know how many todays and tomorrows we will have. So the best way we can use them is to live fully in the moment.

Just Stir Your Life Stew:

Stir your Life Stew, but smell those blueberry muffins you have in the oven.

Listen to the birds outside your window. Stop and enjoy the pleasant sound of the rain tap-tapping on the roof. Live life with all your senses.

And keep stirring.

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41 Comments

  1. Congratulations Brenda…on the new grandbaby (boy!) they are such fun.
    …and congrats on being the top pinner in Oklahoma! I find that interesting for sure. Who knew?!
    I'd like to know …who holds that job at Pinterest. Official Pinterest 'bean counter'…hahahaha!
    anyway…it's fun.
    have a great week. Pat

  4. You did such a good job putting this into words…as I continue to struggle through a divorce this is exactly what I needed to hear.

  5. A new grandchild? That's wonderful Brenda! I'm so happy for you and your family!

    Best pinner? That's fabulous, but when they start giving out an award for best blogger, you have my vote.

  7. Love the idea of a stew. It is so true. I really enjoyed to read this post. And congratulations for the baby-boy !
    Amitiés from France,

  9. Fabulous piece — I wish some magazine editor would discover you — they don't know what they are missing.

  10. Congrats on being a grandmother, my son and DIL didn't want children and then 10 years later they had girls and what great parents they are. I am so glad they have experienced one of the gracious things in life. Love your photos.

  11. Life Stew is such an appropriate phrase. This moving column makes me think of a poem by William Butler Yeats, "A Prayer for my Daughter," which includes the lines,

    It's certain that fine women eat
    A crazy salad with their meat
    Whereby the Horn of Plenty is undone.

    So what you call Life Stew I've often referred to as Crazy Salad. Put them together, and you have quite a feast.

    Here's a link to the poem.

    http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cooneys/poems/Yeats.prayer.html

  13. Congratulations for the grandchild!
    That post about little Maria was very touching. Please, keep us informed, if the police has found anything. I wrote a comment about things like that here in Brazil.
    There is something in both cases that we should pay attention. A person very close to the families was involved.
    A Doctor's employee was one of the killers of the 5 years old girl ( a womam!) , and the last person who was seen
    talking to the boy was a neighbor.
    Hugs,
    Sandra

  15. What a lovely post! I'll keep stirring. It's been a bad week but starting to look up now. Congratulations on Pinterest (and you do pin a lot Brenda…I know cause I'm on there every day and I'm always repinning your pins…you'd be my favourite aunt if I was 25 years younger….instead I'll consider you a sister!) xo J

  17. Brenda, congrats on the upcoming grandchild, that's wonderful news.

    And congrats on being the top pinner, I was all excited about reaching 3000 followers on there, it's a big milestone for me, and then I saw your 32,000 + and just laughed. I've got a long way to go.

    Jen

  18. Congrats on your Pinterest, I love that, I will have to go over and see if I am already following you there…love your photos, they are so lifelike and wonderful…thanks for sharing them and congrats on the exciting news of a new grandson, yay.,Phyllis

  19. Exciting news about a new little grandson! Life as a stew…now that's an interesting way of putting it! Sometimes, I prefer that it barely simmers. 😉

  21. My husband and I also waited 11 years before we had out daughter. (I'm the child of divorce and I think I just wanted to make sure the marriage would stick. LOL) Might have liked more, but that just wasn't the plan. Such an exciting time!

  22. Congrats on your awesome Pinterest award! So proud of you (always). Life is a big stew, the goods and the bads, all of which make us who we are today. Congrats on the new grandbaby boy!

    Mary @ Ms. Redo

  23. Wonderful post!!! Congratulations on the new coming baby! There are so many ups and downs, but when we savor the small things there are so many more joys.
    Blessings,
    Leslie

  24. A new baby, what a blessing! Something to look forward to and someone new to love. Surprises often come from unexpected places. And, here I thought I spent way too much time on Pinterest, lol, you must be pinning some good stuff to be #1. I know I can spend hours on there, what is not to love about that sight, it is so, so wonderful, always something new to look and dream over.
    You go girl!
    Susanne 🙂

  25. Oh Brenda I hear you. I always say life is messy. If you just wait one day something happens. Highs and lows. I am so happy about the new baby. But also sad that one of your girls is struggling. Hang in there and yes good things will come your way cause you are always so kind to us all.

  27. You said those words perfectly. That definitely describes my life right now. It's a mix of good and bad. I'm so happy for you though to become a grandmother again. How exciting! You are such a good writer of words of wisdom from all of the trials and tribulations in your own life. You can give out good advice because you've been in those shoes and come out on the other side!

  28. LOL- Congrats on your Pinterest award (I think!;>) Life is certainly a stew, Brenda. Great analogy. xo Diana

  29. I am very happy for you, too. A new baby is a blessing for the whole family. And I so agree with what you've written. I've had some really bad things happen to me in the past….but it doesn't have anything to do with the life I lead now. That amazes me something but I try not to dwell on it. I love pinterest and follow you. I just haven't spent much time getting my own boards together. It's fun though! Sweet hugs!

  31. What a great post Brenda – you are so right in what you say, so much commonsense, only it sometimes hard to stand back and think like this – thanks for reminding us.
    Congratulations on a third grandchild on the way – so exciting for you all!
    Made me laugh re: your Pinterest achievement – should you laugh or cry! It is all too easy to spend way too much time on it isnt it?!!!! But well done anyway!
    Gill xx

  32. Congratulations on that baby to you and your family! Beautiful post and so truthful – thank you for writing this today I so needed it. Another congratulations for being the top pinner on pinterest in OK! 🙂
    Marisa

  33. This is lovely and so very true! The same week in which I decided to end my 11 year marriage, was the same week in which I was offered a job transfer with the State of California…..5 miles from my cozy little home. I commuted 85 miles a day to work for ten years. I was in so much grief, yet so much joy…that is life stew for you. I am happy to say, this is my second week commuting such a short distance to work and I have to pinch myself all the time!

  34. I love this post! You have a way with words that I do not. My thoughts were very much like these yesterday, I posted something similar. Congratulations on the new Grandbaby! They are wonderful! I can also relate to things going well with one and not so well for the other!

  36. Oh Brenda, what lovely news for your daughter and husband! A new grand baby on the way, maybe a quilt? One of those beautiful creations of yours for the little guy. For some reason your posting brought tears to my eyes, touched my heart ever so gently. Yes, dear, you do need to write a book or at least a column for some newspaper! We'd all be buying it and following you!

  37. Brenda, I really needed to read this post today!! I have been trying to get my Mom to move closer to me and she keeps giving me 'tasks' to do before she will make a decision. I've now done all my tasks and it's back to her….I can't make her move as she really is capable of making her own decisions but I worry so much about her. Today I realized, I have to let go and let her make up her mind, I've done all I can. Back to working on my cluttered life again!

    Linda

  38. Sounds like something scrumptious is slowly simmering away, on that cozy little stove! And, WE got a taste of it! Second helpings in store, I hope!

    Thanks for whetting our appetite for life! You are such a 'seasoned cook'!

    xo
    Poppy

  39. Congratulations on the new grandson coming in March! I'm so happy for you and his parents.

    And I love this post. Every word is so very true and a message we need to remind ourselves of often. Your losing your old blog posts and beginning all over with determination is such a good metaphor for the whole message.

    Katherine Mansfield said: "Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it' it's only good for wallowing in." I'll join you in agreeing not to wallow, Brenda. Life may be the stew you wrote of but we'll just keep making muffins to go with it.

  41. The degree in journalism definitely shows in this beautiful post.

    I knew from the title that I would enjoy reading and I couldn't agree more about the teeter totter of life.

    I just bought The Book of Doing by Allison Arden and read the intro last night about how she came to write a book.

    YOU should write a book!

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