A pretty hot and sticky day in the city of Pittsburgh. After church, I took my first journey over to the Bitter Ends Luncheonette for my first breakfast there. There is something so interesting and unique when you can taste a story within the food you are eating. And this tiny little kitchenette certainly has a story and a global perspective. Food fresh and farmed organically, environmentally friendly, you can taste the science and the heart that goes into creating something so descriptive, words and worlds traveling in and out of the very breakfast sandwich you are eating. There is always a story behind the food you are eating; with speed in life we miss that story I think. But today that story was created or at least started. 

    Dogs and small children and families and locals gathered outside this morning, choosing their colored coffee mug to enjoy their homemade, homegrown story. The inside cozy and high energy, the cooks filled with a vibe of wonder and delight and great character mixed into one. There are people who create an atmosphere because they have to and there are others who create an atmosphere because they want to. And some atmospheres leave a stamp on your heart. 

    And sometimes those great stories of food and conversation and love propel you to find joy in something you may not always find to be a joyful task. I spent hours outside today planting. For those of you who know me, gardening is theraputic for some and others it brings a bit of anxiety-perhaps because some of us have accidentally killed a plant in the past or maybe two or three. But today as I was planting some tomato plants and assorted flowers, barefoot, not wearing gloves, soil all over my face and underneath my fingernails, I felt rather peaceful. Thinking about that fresh salad and roasted vegetable and goat cheese toast of this morning, as I was planting I was recalling the story I discovered today and maybe the story I would be creating right now inside my seemingly crooked and mishapen and imperfect garden. 

     Every space has a story. And not just people-which I think our society sometimes focuses too much on. There is a story in what we eat and what we wear, in the flowers that grow beneath us and the insects that buzz around us. Pay attention. Ask the "how's" and the "why's." Find that hidden story and then spread it around-let others enjoy it took. They deserve it just as much as you do.