A few days ago I had lunch with a friend and in our conversation about my recent lay off from teaching, she brought up the subject of starting a blog. This was the third time in as many weeks that someone had said this to me. I can be slow to move on some things, but this time I recognized the third suggestion as the final word, hence, the blog, Sage & Sassafras.
Sage is an aromatic herb, found mostly in the western states of the U.S. I fell in love with sage when I lived in Colorado, in a small mountain town where I attended college. Sage has an aroma that is soothing to inhale, and it can bring a sense of calm to the nerves. It is also pretty, made up of minutely detailed soft green leaves that create a lace-like effect. Native Americans use sage to cleanse a space of negative energies. Sage is a comforting herb for the mind and soul.
Sassafras is a small tree with aromatic leaves and bark that grows mostly in the north and east. The oil of the leaves and bark can be used to thin the blood and for medicinal purposes. I remember making sassafras tea from the bark of a tree on the farm I once lived on in Elverson, Pennsylvania. It is the flavor you taste when drinking root beer. Sassafras is used to heal the body.
Combining the two plants in naming the blog, I come up with a name that means “fusing the east with the west; healing the mind, body and soul…”
Welcome to Sage & Sassafras.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Join us for a Memoir Writing class in Phoenixville, PA. This will be a fun class in which you dig up some of those old memories and hold them to the sky, turning, turning, until you see them from the angle that you like best. The class takes place at the Wolfgang Bookstore (second floor sunroom) on Wednesday, October 14th, from 7 – 8 pm. One requirement – get a babysitter for your inner critics! They run rampant, make much too much noise, and are nothing but a distraction. Bring only yourself, a writing instrument and something to write on. (Laptops are welcome).
