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IN THIS CRAZY WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE, life gets so hectic that we sometimes do not slow down to enjoy our families and friends, and when we do it is usually to share a meal. How many times do we meet friends for lunch, have that special dinner for our kids and grandkids (their favorite-their choice), or just slow down enough to have an evening meal with our husband to go over the events of the day. So with all this in mind I have compiled several of my favorite recipes to read, to make, and to savor. I have retired, and it has always been my dream to write a cookbook. I have been blessed to have lots of friends and family who have shared their culinary talents and treats with me. So it is with great pleasure that I present these stories and recipes to tempt you to prepare and have them with your mothers, brothers, sisters, and others. So you too can make memories and have stories to pass along.

It was a project like no other. There was an energy right from the first meeting. Not everyone knew each other but it didn’t matter. No-one knew how to do this thing but that didn’t matter either. In 1993, the Right Reverend Frank K. Allan, 8th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, was keeping an interested eye on the rapid development of a northern suburb known as Johns Creek. He began to think about the Christian souls who were settling there, putting down roots to begin a new life and raise their children in a new city. Where would they worship? How would they express their Christian faith? What could he do meet their needs? The Good Tree is the story of a group of parishioners from Saint David’s Episcopal Church in Roswell who got together to build a mission church in nearby Alpharetta. Beginning with prayer and enthusiasm and guided by the inspirational Father Noel Burtenshaw, the founding of a new mission church was a deeply spiritual and yet very human journey for all concerned. The Good Tree describes that journey, from its unexpected beginnings, through the first twenty-five years of highs and lows, twists and turns, including the difficult period that followed the ordination of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire. If you ever wondered how a church building comes to be in a particular place at a particular time, or if you are interested in exploring the expression of Christianity in the modern world, or if you are simply interested in reading an inspiring story about a group of ordinary people with a determined Christian purpose, then you will enjoy reading The Good Tree.