The Simple Seed || Serving South Harbor

“I think preparing food and feeding people brings

 nourishment not only to our bodies but to our spirits. 

Feeding people is a way of loving them,

 in the same way that feeding ourselves is a way of 

honoring our own createdness and fragility.”

 -Shauna Niequest // Bittersweet 

I started taking pictures back in 2009, when I bought a used Canon Rebel XT. 4 years later, 2 cameras later, weddings, families, vacations, and friends, I have been beyond blessed and lucky to photograph moment after moment. And moment after moment, the one thing that never seizes to amaze me, is that by truly focusing on what is happening in front of me and a with click of a button, I am able to freeze a glimpse of time: a memory. To me photography is a chance to tell a beautiful story. And when you look back at that beautiful story, photographs have the ability to bring you right back to that moment, that memory, like it was yesterday. I love that. I am so incredibly thankful for that...because it's moments like these that I want to remember. It's moments of pure life-in-the-now, that I want to continue to share.

There's nothing more fulfilling to me than putting away the chaos and distractions that overwhelms me most days, and living life completely in the right-here-right-now moment. It's a hard act to practice, but this past weekend I found it: whole, heart-filling, life. Time away, time set aside, time.  Time [like always] kept moving, but there we were at a house together embracing the gift of time we were given [right then and there]. We were tired, we were joyful, we were full: physically and emotionally full. 

Like everything, I truly believe that God has a plan for The Simple Seed. I'm so excited to be a part of it alongside with Christine + Emily, and whoever else tags along! :) It started with a seed: a dream. This weekend was a dream that Christine + Emily came up with to bake and serve the Sunday morning refreshments at South Harbor. Bake warm, delicious treats made with the purest of ingredients. Go back to the basics and show people what that even looks like, over one of the most common uniters: food. We baked over 500 Peanut Butter Cupcakes and Breakfast Cookies combined. [along with lunch, dinner, breakfast and snacks for ourselves...of course!] 

We ate on the hardwood floors, had meaningful conversations, journaled, laughed a lot, listened to music in silence, stayed up too late, and baked our hearts out. It was a really great weekend, a weekend that made me feel alive. All the hard work was beyond worth it Sunday morning when we were able to meet new people, answer their questions, see their reactions, and explain our passions. It was a beginning of a new adventure!

Christine, Emily, and I are fairly convinced that we will have a house together some day....and that house will include a garden, lots of time spent in the kitchen, community, and so many great conversations. But for now, this was our weekend: 

Maybe "the simple seed" sounds familiar to you, that's because I introduced it on here almost a year ago when Christine had a gluten-free family dinner. The seed was planted there, and it's still growing! On that post I highlighted "gluten free...gluten free...gluten free" but it's way more than that. What we want for The Simple Seed is to show people and tell people about food in it's purest form: "God's food". The way He intended food to be. [Or in other words..GMO free!] Maybe that sounds intimidating to you or scary, but it's not...It's actually quite the opposite! Here's a little more information about what The Simple Seed is right now!

The Simple Seed Mission Statement:: We work with people who are craving simplicity, self sustainability, and community. Our mission is to provide healing and restoration to bring forth mission and purpose in Christ. // Here's a little what my friend, Christine has to say about the 'base' of The Simple Seed...."God created food to nourish our bodies. The food most of us eat today is far from what food originally looked like. We have twisted the original form of food with chemicals, preservatives, and modifications to make it go further, last longer, and ultimately, generate more profit. Our current definition of "food" is far from nourishing, quite the opposite actually. If we pause to look around it's hard to miss the prevalence of sickness and disease, hurt and struggle. From depression to low energy and behavioral issues, the loss of babies and pregnancy complications, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and the list goes on and on and on. We weren't supposed to live this way; God did not create us to suffer to the extent we are. It's heartbreaking. We believe our current food system is a huge contributor to the ever increasing rates of hurt we are experiencing..."

Right now, The Simple Seed is really is just a bunch of ideas boiling in a pot. [lots of dreams too!] In this very moment, we can't see exactly where all those dreams will lead to, but that's okay. Our hands are wide open, waiting to see what God to take them and lead us to whatever He has in store for it. The one thing that is for sure though, is all those ideas, dreams, seeds, they're all turning into one absolute adventure.

"Like anything, it starts with a seed - a simple idea that is planted"
Seeds are being planted and we can't wait to see what they grow into.

We would love for you to follow our story: 
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[The Simple Seed]