Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2019)
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Food & Home 15 Sisters author hopes to draw hearts home By Kit Tosello Correspondent Our homes are more than the sum of their square foot- age. And they9re more than a place to hang our hats. With her latest book, <The Unexpected Power of Home: Why We Need It More Than Ever,= local author Nancie Carmichael hopes to remind us that our dwelling places overflow with powerful, life- shaping potential. Carmichael will give a free holiday-themed presen- tation and sign copies of her newest book at Suttle Tea on November 5, at 6:30 p.m. <Home is such a power- ful metaphor for who we are, and it instructs us,= she says. <There are so many layers to home. It9s a practical place. A spiritual place. A place of cel- ebration. A place to let down your hair. It9s a place to be fully human and to share that with others.= While the tendency is to focus on externals 4 furnish- ings, aesthetics, the neighbor- hood 4 Carmichael suggests, <That9s not what it9s about. Actually, we are the ones who make home for ourselves and others. It starts at ground- zero, with us. <I think of my grand- mother in the Depression,= Carmichael remembers. <She never owned a home. Her biggest thrill was when she finally got a one-bedroom apartment. That9s where she9d make her pear conserve and put it on the window- sill, and you could see the jewel fruit in there. And her big chair, where she read the Bible. So that was home for her.= Home is sacred, as a place of safety and respect, a place to think and a place to grow. Carmichael, who spent her early years on a farm in Montana, finds that how we experienced home as a child influences how we, in turn, make a home for ourselves and our families. Not all of us have warm fuzzies when we think about home. In her book, Carmichael shares the story of a woman with a difficult childhood who has chosen to incorporate the positive things she learned from her mother 4 recipes she now makes for her son. <Home allows us to take the pain and turn it into a place of joy and new begin- nings. Ask, 8How can this be a place of love, restoration, redemption?9= Beyond the philosophi- cal, she9s not suggesting we overlook practicality or com- fort. <Home is our base of operations, and it needs to be effective. It9s where children get rest and nourishment so they can do well. It9s where we grow people, people who grow up to be presidents and teachers and lawmakers and leaders in the community.= Hospitality isn9t entertaining. <Hospitality is making room for people in this world. It9s welcoming, noticing peo- ple. Maya Angelou said that people will forget what you said and did, but they9ll never forget how you made them feel.= She suggests walking into your home with objective eyes. <What does my house say? Do people feel comfort- able here?= There9s power in extend- ing hospitality to ourselves, too, for being replenished. Hospitality is making room for people in this world. It’s welcoming, noticing people. Maya Angelou said that people will forget what you said and did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. — Nancie Carmichael Carmichael wrote the book during a time of uprooting from the Camp Sherman home she shared with her husband, Bill, for 15 years after raising their five chil- dren in Black Butte Ranch. Settling into a smaller home in town, she again carved out her personal spot, PHOTO PROVIDED a favorite chair Nancie Carmichael of Sisters has written a book about the power and importance of home. next to her most beloved books. Home is a place for cel- <What9s important is the background, their income. ebrating seasons. way we do things where we But that9s not where it9s at. <The seasons are mark- are,= she says. Every life is powerful. Every ers of our lives,= Carmichael <My dream with this book home is powerful. Start s a y s . < I n t h e m , w e was to inspire people to see there.= remember.= what they have that is so The Unexpected Power of Included in her book is a accessible to them, to make a Home is Carmichael9s 12th recipe for her grandmother9s difference in the world. God book, including two she co- pear conserve, which she doesn9t ask us, 8What big authored with Bill. An eight- made with her daughter. thing can you do for me?9 but week study guide for small <In going through the 8What do you have?9 And our groups is available. motions4the act of peeling reply often is, 8I have very lit- On Tuesday, November the pears, chopping them, tle.9 But I truly believe that9s 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Suttle Tea, and then seeing all those jars. where God starts with every Carmichael will sign cop- It was so much work! But we one of us. ies of her book and offer a remember my mother, my <We look at others9 lives, free presentation, <Making grandmother, in fall. at their advantages, their Holidays Fun Again.= <Doing these things gives us that continuity, that sense of home. Getting kids involved strengthens them.= Households evolve, family dynamics change. MEAT S, GAME ALASKAN SEAFOOD CHEESES SANDWICHES BEER, WINE, CIDER 110 S. SPRUCE ST. | 541-719-1186 We bring your dream into reality Creating handcrafted log homes for 20 years Using full-length, large-diameter logs, we partner with our clients to make their vision reality. We off er custom-built, hand-crafted full-scribe joinery or chink-style construction. Log home maintenance and restoration, inspections and advisory services 541-728-8787 | RichardsonLogHomes.com CCB#207650 Licensed | Bonded | Insured