The Tansy Patch: Welcome

The title The Tansy Patch originated from my favorite book series, the Emily of New Moon trilogy by L. M. Montgomery. In these enchanting books, published in the 1920s, the Tansy Patch is the home of Teddy Kent, a character infinitely dear to my heart.

According to the meanings assigned to flowers (as was popular most during the Victorian Era), the tansy represents immortality or life everlasting. What a vibrant, wonderful reminder of the eternal life we have--we who have been redeemed by Christ!

In the spirit of the old hymn, which declares "brighten the corner where you are," I began this blog in 2009 as a means of doing just that. The Tansy Patch is my own little corner of the internet. I desire for it to be a God-glorifying refuge of serenity, encouragement, creativity, beauty, and joy. Only with God's daily outpouring of grace can it be so.

The Tansy Fairy by Cicely Mary Barker

I invite you to join me in the Tansy Patch, as we reminisce over the "good old days" and try to relive the best of them today . . . as we indulge ourselves in all things literary and classic . . . as we celebrate the daily heart-wonder of living a life set-apart for Christ . . . as we cherish the blessings of home and family and kindred spirits . . . as we fight courageously and boldly in this battle against the flesh . . . as we see and savor the sacredness of all these God-given grace-gifts. This is the heartthrob of the Tansy Patch. These are the things I love. Join me?

Godly Womanhood

"Godly womanhood . . . the very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other type of women: beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career women, talented women, divorced women. But so seldom do we hear of a godly woman--or of a godly man either, for that matter. We believe women come nearer to fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else. It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realms of morals to be old-fashioned, than to be ultra-modern. The world has enough women who know how to be smart. It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct."

~Reverend Peter Marshall, former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate and a great hero of mine