Growing up on a farm, I learned to watch for buzzards. One or two soaring overhead is no cause for concern but when you see a kettle of them, swirling around, you begin to grow uneasy, wondering if they smell a wild animal or one of your cows. A buzzard will sniff out a dead…
Author: Mary Demmler, Prayerful Kitchen
Mother. Wife. Priest. Friend. Cook. Retreat and Workshop Leader. Celebrating joy at every opportunity, especially if it's in the kitchen.
Tears and strength
I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying. I’m sorry I can’t hold my tears. They just seem to come out of me and I have no control over them. I’m sorry. Do you have any tissues? I’m sorry I’m crying. I know I should be over this by now. I’m sorry. Women tend to…
All the Noises…Still Discovering
A grandfather clock stands in the entryway of my parents home. It’s the first thing guests see when they’re all through the door. When it arrived, my dad showed my brother and me how it works, telling us to be mindful never to overwind it. We were fascinated by the mechanisms and I looked forward…
Listening To What Our Bodies Have to Tell Us: A Lesson From My Shoulder
I have a bad shoulder. I never broke it or injured it in any way. I don’t have a torn rotator cuff or labrum, and never had to have surgery on it. You might say, in a way that this is all a self-inflicted injury. Since my freshman year in college, my right shoulder has…
“Doubting” Thomas: A GOOD Role Model
The Sunday after Easter is known by several names. Most people will call it, “Low Sunday” because it is one of the Sundays churches experience the lowest attendance in worship. Everyone makes a big push on Easter to get the family to church, especially the members who normally don’t come. I think that takes so…
The Prodigal and the Pigs
A few weeks ago I stopped by the barn because I saw my brother walking alongside it. He had a terrible scowl on his face and I asked him what had happened. “I got attacked by a stupid pig!” He had grabbed one of the piglets to tag its ear. Apparently the mama didn’t take…
All Will Be Well…And Hell.
During the COVID quarantine, my friend and I read some of Julian of Norwich’s work. My friend had heard the saying, “All shall be well,” but was unaware of its origins. I was more than happy to introduce her to St. Julian, which felt especially fitting during lockdown. Julian of Norwich’s most often quoted text…
The Life You Choose Summary
This is a matrix for making life decisions that I’ve been working on for seven years. I lead workshops and retreats to share it with others, sometimes for organizations and church groups but sometimes I host my own events. My upcoming workshop on April 22 is filled for in-person participants but there is still room…
For Rosemary
These are the notes for the sermon I preached today at the funeral of a most beloved friend. May we all aspire to embrace a mere fraction of the gusto for living that she had…and not be afraid of making the mistakes that are absolutely inevitable. Rosemary Dodd’s favorite story to tell about our family…
A Conversation Between Siblings
I spent the weekend with the marvelous Katerina Whitley at one of her Women Writers Workshops. The location alone inspires the heart at mind, as we gather at the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Then Katerina sparks our imaginations with prompts that get our wheels churning. For this prompt, she had us share a list first…
Prayerful Kitchen 