Mary Beth Johnson is a wife and mum to four schooners, as she’s dubbed her children. On a normal afternoon, you would find her in moccasins, skinny jeans and a comfortable tee, camera in hand. Recently moving to the suburbs of Atlanta, Mary Beth spends her days homeschooling, sneaking away to the book store, trying to act the part of a southerner, and sifting through recipes in The Vegetarian Times. Food is her love language. 

 I was filling my cart up with groceries the other day and something about the sight of cranberry bagels, milk, and bananas caused me to stop mid-store and thank God for all of His blessings. He pours them out on me in the most unexpected places at the most unexpected times. The Starbucks drive-thru when someone ahead of me pays for my drink. The eye doctor who finds a cure for my ongoing eye condition. The friend who texts me and says that she is praying for me. The card plastered with stickers that my daughter leaves by the side of my bed. The scent of baby shampoo on the top of my newborn’s head.

They are all around me. Every moment of every day.

I think about the type of person I am and wonder…do I exude thankfulness? Do people spend 5-minutes in conversation with me and walk away illuminated to the blessings around them too? What about my husband and my children…the ones who see me at my worst. Do they see me offering up thanks, even when it is hard? Is there a song of gratefulness continually on my lips?

It is easy to focus on thankfulness during the month of November. There are reminders on school bulletin boards and coffee cups as we breeze through these crisp autumn days. The earth is rich with color and the weather has yet to turn bitter with the onslaught of sickness and dreary skies. But even on the long and hard days that are sure to come, when thankfulness does not come readily to my lips, may I remember to look up to the heavens and pray, “Thank you for the good and the hard and the holy, Lord. Amen.”

The tangy flavor of cranberries should always be present at the Thanksgiving table. I never knew homemade chutney was so easy to make, or else I would have tried it years ago! This delectable sauce can also be prepared up to a week in advance and stored in the fridge. I hope you enjoy! 

  

 

 

//THANKSGIVING CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

Serves: 12 (makes about 2 cups)

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup water

4 cups fresh cranberries

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

A couple drops of young living lemon essential oil

grated zest of 1 small orange or tangerine

***  Any suggestions made on this blog are very specific to Young Living essential oils and should not be used with oils from another source. Statements made on this website about Young Living Essential Oils have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician. If you are currently on medication, please DO NOT STOP. This is just how I make & do things. you must make informed decisions for yourself and your own family. 

“We are starting our journey with Essential Oils and have done our own research on the purity of oils.  I am confident in using oils in our recipes because we only use Young Living.  They are  beyond organic and never use pesticides, herbicides or any harmful chemicals. Their soil has never been exposed to them as well.  I don’t suggest ever using any other oil for ingestion because I don’t know of their purity. “