Remember last fall when I had my Let's Party Like Girls night (here + here)?
Connecting with women has been on my mind before that evening and has stayed there every day since. I knew God wanted to use it for something...for more than simply us girls having an excuse to dress up in the chic clothes we rarely have opportunities to wear anymore and drink sparkly drinks together. Though let's be honest. That part is super fun.
More, God kept whispering to me.
Bigger.
So I continued to pray about what that meant exactly. I had read Shauna Niequist's book, Bread and Wine shortly after it was released and the idea of gathering around the table made a big impact on me.
That thought stayed with me.
Over the next several months though, the Lord began to unfold before me a need that so many of us have:
To be known.
To have deep conversation, to be cared for, to be loved and listened to. To go to bed at night feeling nourished...body, mind, and soul.
And so birthed Nourish.
Last Thursday was our first gathering. I invited friends I knew well and many I wanted to know well.
I had no agenda other than knowing the importance of sitting together over a meal, nourishing one-another and ourselves with a family style dinner and laughter and repartee. Not small-talk. But conversation.
Along with the invitation, I sent out this email...
I've had a deep desire lately to gather around the table with friends. To love and be loved on by ladies I know well and those I'd like to know better. To be surrounded by beauty and be filled up.
So I'm inviting you to something I'm calling An Evening to Nourish.
Expect an invitation in your email tonight (
I used this invite)
. But since they often go into spam folders, I wanted to send this as a Save the Date of sorts...so you know to keep an eye out.
I'm excited to have you in, to sit and have a glass of wine with you. To enjoy an evening for us, without feeling pulled in a million directions.
I hope you'll join me!
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So every month I plan on having a dinner like this. Or maybe one month I'll have a brunch and the kids will be invited, or perhaps a bbq and husbands will come!
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All I know is the fierce importance and desire of gathering around the table is real.
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It's substantial.
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It's rooted somewhere deep within me and I have no doubt God is going to evolve it into something bigger and more exciting than I'm imagining now.
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And guess what. That night was magical. Only two out of the eight girls had ever met, and by the end we were old friends. That's real. Women sitting around the table together being genuine and authentic.
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Leaving talk of the weather and gossip at home.
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Ya'll? (yes, I just said y'all). It was amazing.
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Throughout this week I'm going to share recipes from the evening and simple (SIMPLE, I promise!) and inexpensive ideas to help you throw your own Evening to Nourish!
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Update: Here is the post on
our menu (complete with recipes + photos) and
here is how I decorated our table...and how you can do it inexpensively, too!
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