An incredibly supportive and faithful group of women is gathering tonight in Madison, Mississippi.  Those Who Speak is a casual support group for women who have had trouble getting pregnant, staying pregnant, or who have lost a child at a very young age.  Founder Laurel Donahoo says, “After I had a miscarriage back in July of 2013 and was going through a very difficult grieving process seemingly by myself, the Lord laid it on my heart to start a group where women who had had difficulty in similar areas could come together for support, prayer, accountability, advice and just general friendship in a super casual setting! He also laid the names of two other girls on my heart I knew had experienced child loss in different ways (miscarriage, stillbirth, and loss of a weeks-old infant), both of whom I reached out to with the idea. They were all in! The first meeting was at my house in April of 2014 and we had almost 20 people there! That, to me, was affirmation that a group like this was so needed!”

We spoke with Laurel (of The Lovely Bee) to learn more about this wonderful group of women:

Tell us about the name of the group, Those Who Speak!
“I’ve had several people ask about the name of the group. It comes from a C.S. Lewis quote that I found shortly after my miscarriage that I just loved! It made me realize that getting together with several others and talking about my hurt may actually help my healing! 'I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more.'”

Can you outline what happens at a typical meeting?
“We have changed up the format of the meetings a little bit since the beginning, but currently we all come over to the host’s house (the January 8th meeting is at my house again!) and have a bite to eat, a glass of wine, and get to know anyone who might be new to the meetings! Lately, we have been writing down topics or questions and putting them in a bowl, then sitting down and opening discussion up with prayer. (This is a faith-based group by the way!) We then start drawing pieces of paper out of the bowl and conversation just flows very naturally! The thing I love about this format is that nobody feels pressured to say anything. If someone wants to come and simply just sit and listen, that is 100% OK! Since everyone is different, this makes it more welcoming for the super talkative types as well as the more closed off types. Any woman who has experienced difficulty getting pregnant, staying pregnant, or who has lost a child at a young age is welcome to attend!” 

How has this group encouraged you?
“I have made so many sweet friends through this group!! It has helped me to find that I’m not the only one who has experienced the feelings I’ve had. And I’m not the only one whose husband deals differently than I do. And I’m not the only one who faces this crazy fear when I do get pregnant that I’m going to miscarry again. I have a group of girls who I can float a specific prayer request to and they totally get where I’m coming from. It’s been incredible to walk joyful journeys of successful IVFs and natural conceptions with some of the members, and it’s been a huge boost in my prayer life to pray for patience and understanding for others who are still waiting on God’s timing.”

Thank you, Laurel, for sharing your story, your faith and Those Who Speak with women across the state and Inspiration Mississippi!  The group meets tonight at 6:00pm in Madison and anyone is invited to attend.  Laurel says, “We meet every two to three months, so if this group sounds like something you might want to attend but you don’t feel ready yet, that is OK! We will have another one soon! I post to my blog (www.thehiveblog.com) each time we set a date for a new one so you can keep up with the meetings there!”

{Blog by Mitchell Walters}

Imagine running the historic streets of downtown Jackson on a perfectly chilly morning, driven by the beat of Mississippi’s blues.  This Saturday, January 9, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi hosts the annual Mississippi Blues Marathon! 

This beautiful race honors the great musicians of the past, and supports the talented men and women who carry on the tradition of the blues.  The Mississippi Blues Marathon states, “People say the blues was born in Mississippi, traveled to Memphis in its youth and grew up in Chicago, but the truth is – the blues never left home.  If you’ve never heard the Mississippi blues, you’ve never heard the real thing.”

Outstanding blues musicians will treat runners and spectators to live music before, during and after the marathon.  A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Blues Foundation, supporting local blues musicians throughout the state of Mississippi. 

After the race, join the annual Blues Crawl and fill your soul with more incredible blues inside Jackson’s favorite musical haunts!  If you are running in the race, you will receive a wristband good for admission to all stops on the Blues Crawl.  If not, a wristband is simply $10, and will be available for purchase at the Expo tent at the entrance to the race, as well as all participating vendors.  For more information on the Blues Crawl, please click here.

Whether you enjoy running, listening to live music, or simply taking in the breathtaking sites of downtown Jackson, we hope to celebrate Mississippi’s blues with all of you this Saturday!  Click here to learn more about Jackson’s beloved Mississippi Blues Marathon.

{Blog by Mitchell Walters}

Fresh Cut Catering & Floral is known for their exquisite floral arrangements, dreamy tablescapes and mouthwatering fare.  Owner Wendy Putt is equally impressive.  As a young woman, Wendy’s parents always encouraged their creative daughter to pursue her dreams.  Wendy reflects, “With the support of my family, I started Fresh Cut Flowers.  Catering weaved its way in 1995, and we changed our name to Fresh Cut Catering & Floral.  Our single employee business has ‘blossomed’ to thirty-five full-time staff and over 150 part-time staff that help during events!”

Wendy and her team have created stunning arrangements for George Bush’s inauguration in Washington, DC, have decorated the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion during the holidays, and support many philanthropies throughout the state. 

Wendy says, “My most precious accomplishments are here at home, such as giving to my church, First Baptist Church of Jackson, helping numerous homeless organizations, catering Jackson’s very own Mistletoe Marketplace, and partnering with the Wingard Home in staffing some residents.”  She smiles, “Above all, of course, is my immediate loving family; my husband Bruce Putt and two children, Harrison and Julia.  Our hours are sometimes spent together working, but I guess that’s where it all started!” 

Wendy’s warm and wildly talented team at Fresh Cut Catering & Floral has become a close-knit family.  Clients rave about their friendly staff and their incredible work.  We sat down with Wendy to learn a little more about the Fresh Cut team, and how she seamlessly pulls together countless weddings and events.

The Fresh Cut Team is truly a family that works together.  Tell us about your team and how everyone works together so beautifully!
“We have just all grown up together.  The boys I work with are like my children.  They each bring a different quality and personality to the business, whether it be an organic approach to a more mainstream demeanor.  We all look out for one another!”

We have heard that you share meals together on a regular basis.  How does having this "family" enhance your jobs?
“We have lunch for everyone on a daily basis, and on occasion the whole crew will have dinner together.  Not just for holidays, but just because.”

What is your favorite part of planning a wedding or event?
“The creative styling and the setup.  ‘It’s all about the picture.’”

Walk us through the process of working with a bride or groom.  How do you come up with your incredible florals and yummy catering menu?
“It usually takes a long while and sometimes several sessions.  We start with the apparel as inspiration for color and then go from there.  The personal flowers are the start of the process and then we elaborate on the bride’s taste after that…the ceremony site usually drives the inspiration for the florals and props. For receptions, we usually start with linen selection and then we segway to the food selection.  We love to include the groom on that.  I show them a menagerie of pictures and we pick and choose some elements that the bride loves…there is always a LOT of sketching!”

All of their hard work pays off beautifully every single time.  Thank you, Wendy, for sharing your talents with all of us!  For more information on Fresh Cut Catering & Floral, please visit their website here.  You can also view their Facebook page here!  All photos courtesy of Fresh Cut Catering & Floral. 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Romans 12:12

How do we approach 2016?  I think it would be safe to say that we are hopeful.  Some of us look back on 2015 and hope that we can have another good year just like it.  Some of us have had awful years that we really don’t want to repeat.  No matter what 2015 has been like for us, we all look toward the coming year with hope. 

For us as Christians, we have fixed our hope in and through Christ.  Prayerfully, we give over our futures in His love, His grace, and His mercy.  This is not easy.  In our human frailty, we hesitate and hold back our trust as fear and anxiety force themselves into our consciousness. 

The question is, as we begin the New Year, how do we resolve the struggle of our free wills as we search to connect to His divine will?  The answer to the question is hope.  Hope is the bridge across all of the mysteries concerning our connection to our Creator.  We find ourselves in Him as we hope for Him.  We believe in His promises when, by hope, we faithfully trust that He loves us.  Hope for our future is bound up in our worship of, praise of, and prayer to Him.

May we begin the New Year fixed on God, the Father.  May we trust in His love, Christ Jesus.  And may we discover that our place with Him is the deliverance our heart cries out for.

2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  Romans 5:2-5

Thank you to Mary Moment Photography for the beautiful photographs!

{Blog by Mitchell Walters}

{Bride} Anna Brown
{Groom} Jeremy White
{Hometowns} Brandon, MS (Bride) and Vicksburg, MS (Groom)
{Wedding Site} The Ivy Venue (Carriage House) Flowood, MS
{Reception Site} The Ivy Venue, Flowood, MS

{Bride’s Bouquet} White hydrangeas, white O’Hara garden roses, white ranunculus, white lisianthus, blush Juliette roses, and bits of Dusty Miller and seeded Eucalyptus.

{Bridesmaid Bouquets} Smaller versions of the bridal bouquet

{How did the two of you meet?}  Jeremy and I met in college, while studying at Mississippi College in Clinton, MS. We also attended church at Pinelake, which caused us to cross each other’s a couple of years later on a mission trip in Kenya, Africa. It was not until the end of my senior year of college and Jeremy’s second year of medical school that we began dating.

{What is your proposal story?} It was two days before Christmas of 2014, and Jeremy just got in town from Birmingham. We drove to Vicksburg to see his family; however, we took a detour and ended up at the Vicksburg Military Park, where we had our first date almost exactly three years before. It was cold and rainy (unlike the first day we spent there), so we drove around until we reached the highest point, looking over the Mississippi River. We got out of the car despite the freezing cold, rainy weather. Jeremy got down on one knee in the mud, and asked me to be his wife. Of course, I said, “YES!”

{What inspired your wedding and reception locations?} I always loved old southern antebellum homes. I grew up going to visit my grandparents in Natchez, MS who lived in a beautiful antebellum home. I had recently heard of the Ivy, and emailed the owner Christmas Eve. My fiancé (now husband) and I went to view the venue, and we fell in love! I always wanted to have an outdoor wedding, but a wedding in the Mississippi heat of July just wasn’t feasible. We viewed the Carriage House, which looked like a rustic chapel surrounded by windows. I loved how the building was set back in the woods and enclosed by trees. Having our ceremony at The Ivy’s Carriage House provided the greenery and natural sunlight I desired in having an outdoor ceremony. In addition, having our reception at The Ivy reminded me of my family’s antebellum home in Natchez, MS.

{What inspired your color scheme/theme/flowers?} I guess I would describe my theme as natural, classic. There was nothing flashy about my wedding, but I knew I wanted to choose ascents that were timeless. I also tried to stay true to myself, because I wanted our wedding to reflect our personalities. I wanted very subtle, classic colors. I also knew I wanted gray bridesmaid dresses, and everything else stemmed from there. I wanted my flowers and décor to contrast from the gray, but also brighten everything up since I was planning a summer wedding. I loved all the ivory and white flowers, and I was also drawn to the sage green leaves often found in bouquets. After vigorously flipping through magazines and searching on Pinterest, I worked with Wendy Putt to decide on my color scheme, which ended up being ivory, gray, blush, and gold. The flowers became my favorite aspect of the accessories and décor. I decided on white hydrangeas, O’Hara garden roses, ranunculus, lisianthus, blush Juliette roses, and bits of Dusty Miller and seeded Eucalyptus.

{How did you pick “the dress?”} I went to Lace Bridal Boutique with my mom and sister on a whim. I wasn’t trying to find “the dress.” I had already made appointments other places, not expecting to fall in love with a dress at my first stop. I was looking for something classic with lace. I tried on three or four dresses, liking pieces of each, but not really loving any of them. I was about to leave, when one of the sweet ladies at Lace put together a very simple strapless chiffon dress with a gorgeous scalloped lace jacket. I would have never dreamed of pairing these two pieces together, but the moment I put it on, I knew it was the one. I knew this dress was “the one,” partly because I felt complete comfortable and confident in it, but also because my mom started crying. I was so pleased with my dress, and can’t imagine wearing anything else on that special day.

{What’s your favorite unique accessory? Is there a story behind it?} I wore my childhood best friend’s grandmother’s wedding ring. We’ve been best friends since we were three years old, so we always considered each other as more of sisters than friends. Every daughter and granddaughter wore this ring on their wedding day to represent and honor their sweet grandmother. I was so honored to wear this piece as my “something old” and “something borrowed.”

{What was your favorite part of the wedding planning process?} I really enjoyed planning and buying all the gifts for bridesmaids, hostesses, and family. I’m a gift-giver, so naturally I found great joy in finding special tokens that represented each relationship. This was also such a great way to show my appreciation for all the love, support, and encouragement that I received from each of these people.

{Besides the actual wedding, what was your favorite moment of the wedding day?} I loved the entire day, but the moment that Jeremy and I walked back down the aisle, after being pronounced husband and wife was so surreal. We turned around and saw the faces of the people that meant the most to us, and they were all there for us, celebrating us, and supporting us. That was the first moment that we joined hands as husband and wife, and walked out the doors to our future together.

{What was your favorite surprise detail/moment about your wedding day?} My favorite detail was a table we had decorated with old photographs of our parents and grandparents from their wedding days. I thought this was a great way to display the love and commitment that is celebrating in both our families as well as a sentimental way to honor those who were unable to be there with us on that day. My favorite small moment was right before the ceremony when my bridesmaids, mother, and mother-in-law-to-be joined with my two mentors in prayer over me. This was such a sweet moment to gather my thoughts, calm my nerves, and focus on what was to come. I was so encouraged and blessed by the words that were said over me.

Photographer: Katelyn Williams
Event Planner: Fresh Cut Catering and Floral
Dress: Lace Bridal Boutique
Bride’s Veil: Madame Tulle
Hair: Friend (Katie Fatherree)
Make-up: Friend & Bridesmaid (Laura McCormick Dixon)
Bridesmaid Dresses: Lace Bridal Boutique
Tuxes: Tuxedo Junction
Videographer: Revival House
Venue: The Ivy Venue
Rentals: The Ivy Venue/Fresh Cut
Florist: Fresh Cut Catering and Floral
Catering: Fresh Cut Catering and Floral
Band: Faze 4 Band
Bride’s Cake:  White almond butter cream-So Southern Sweets (Pamela Cadenhead):
Groom’s Cake: Cheese Cakes Squares from Sam’s
Print Material: Boyanton Printing: http://www.boyantonprinting.com/