The 5th Street Candle Collection - Stories
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This photo on the Lavender in Grandma's Garden candle is my grandmother (Millie McKeever) at about age 12 with her grandfather (my great, great grandfather). They were outside on the farm. The tag on the candle has a brief back story of what inspired the candle and a gardening tip for growing lavender. The scent of the candle is fresh lavender out of the garden. The aroma of Lavender is known for a soothing calming effect.
The story behind...Lavender in Grandma's Garden
A Warrior’s Heart for Growth - A Daily Dose of Vitamin “C”
- Taken from the book 'Heart of a Warrior'
By Shelly Thompson
Everyone in my legacy had a green thumb. They could grow anything. My parents had a large garden in our back yard on 5th Street. Every summer neatly planted rows of vegetables growing in our backyard could be seen all the way from the street. My grandparents had a large garden at the back of their yard by the alley. My grandmother was always chasing the rabbits away from her lettuce. I still smile as I remember my grandma shooing them away with her apron airborne in the summer breeze and the scent of her nearby lilac tree filling the air. Those were good days God smiled on 5th Street.
My grandmother grew the most delicious strawberries along the side of her flower beds. I was always excited to see the little white flowers appear on the strawberry vines. I knew the flowers would soon turn into tiny green buds and finally into deep red berries, which I was anxious to eat. As I watched and waited for the small white flowers to turn into ripe, red berries my grandma always reminded me that God was growing them to be ready at the exact right time. To me…the right time was right then! When it would rain and I couldn’t go outside she would often take me to the window, point to the small strawberry patch and remind me that God was providing the rain to help the berries grow.
From what I observed it looked the tiny green buds being pelted by the rain were hanging onto the vines for dear life. It seemed like a struggle. But then one day…there it was. My grandma would proudly lead the way to the small strawberry patch and show me what the sun and rain had finally produced…a perfect strawberry. We didn’t even wash it. I would pick the red berries right there and eat them. The perfect time had finally arrived!
As I enjoyed the juicy strawberries my grandma would often remind me how God provided the sun…and the rain...and everything the strawberry needed until it was the perfect time for the full transformation to a strawberry. She would list all the things the strawberry needed for the process; fertile soil, water from the sky, and about 6 hours of sunlight each day. If the strawberry got too much water it might rot. If it didn’t receive enough sun it would turn brown and not taste good. She knew growing the perfect strawberry took time, patience, and perseverance.
I learned many Warrior gardening lessons as I grew up. First, there has to be fertile soil for something good to grow. My grandma used to place small amounts of compost she made in a coffee can throughout her garden. We can offer God a fertile heart by reading His word. She cared for her plants daily often talking to them. I used to tell her they couldn’t hear her…but she talked to them anyway as she took care of them encouraging them to grow. Isn’t that the way it is with us? God is the tender Gardner of our hearts and souls, but often we don’t hear Him whisper. His word is a daily dose of SONshine for our lives, illuminating truth and giving us strength. If we put these ‘gardening lessons’ into practice, then like the tiny green buds in the strawberry patch hanging on for dear life when it rains, like true Warriors, we can withstand the storms of life. Often those storms are exactly what He uses to transform our hearts and like the strawberry, to grow our faith so that all will notice the beauty in our hearts.
Putting this into action –
What area of your faith has God been trying to grow? Do you offer Him a fertile heart to work with…or is the soil of your heart hardened by events of life? Are you willing to listen for the tender voice of the Gardner encouraging you during the storms of life? Do you spend time in the SONshine each day?
There’s a recommended daily dose of Vitamin C for a healthy body. Ounce per ounce strawberries provide more Vitamin C than an orange. If you’re counting, strawberries are lower in calories. God recommends a daily dose of Vitamin C (Christ) found in His Word. The Vitamin C of Christ will make you stronger than you can imagine (Philippians 4:13) and...it’s always calorie free!
Instruction Manual
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119:15, 16
- Taken from the book 'Heart of a Warrior'
By Shelly Thompson
Everyone in my legacy had a green thumb. They could grow anything. My parents had a large garden in our back yard on 5th Street. Every summer neatly planted rows of vegetables growing in our backyard could be seen all the way from the street. My grandparents had a large garden at the back of their yard by the alley. My grandmother was always chasing the rabbits away from her lettuce. I still smile as I remember my grandma shooing them away with her apron airborne in the summer breeze and the scent of her nearby lilac tree filling the air. Those were good days God smiled on 5th Street.
My grandmother grew the most delicious strawberries along the side of her flower beds. I was always excited to see the little white flowers appear on the strawberry vines. I knew the flowers would soon turn into tiny green buds and finally into deep red berries, which I was anxious to eat. As I watched and waited for the small white flowers to turn into ripe, red berries my grandma always reminded me that God was growing them to be ready at the exact right time. To me…the right time was right then! When it would rain and I couldn’t go outside she would often take me to the window, point to the small strawberry patch and remind me that God was providing the rain to help the berries grow.
From what I observed it looked the tiny green buds being pelted by the rain were hanging onto the vines for dear life. It seemed like a struggle. But then one day…there it was. My grandma would proudly lead the way to the small strawberry patch and show me what the sun and rain had finally produced…a perfect strawberry. We didn’t even wash it. I would pick the red berries right there and eat them. The perfect time had finally arrived!
As I enjoyed the juicy strawberries my grandma would often remind me how God provided the sun…and the rain...and everything the strawberry needed until it was the perfect time for the full transformation to a strawberry. She would list all the things the strawberry needed for the process; fertile soil, water from the sky, and about 6 hours of sunlight each day. If the strawberry got too much water it might rot. If it didn’t receive enough sun it would turn brown and not taste good. She knew growing the perfect strawberry took time, patience, and perseverance.
I learned many Warrior gardening lessons as I grew up. First, there has to be fertile soil for something good to grow. My grandma used to place small amounts of compost she made in a coffee can throughout her garden. We can offer God a fertile heart by reading His word. She cared for her plants daily often talking to them. I used to tell her they couldn’t hear her…but she talked to them anyway as she took care of them encouraging them to grow. Isn’t that the way it is with us? God is the tender Gardner of our hearts and souls, but often we don’t hear Him whisper. His word is a daily dose of SONshine for our lives, illuminating truth and giving us strength. If we put these ‘gardening lessons’ into practice, then like the tiny green buds in the strawberry patch hanging on for dear life when it rains, like true Warriors, we can withstand the storms of life. Often those storms are exactly what He uses to transform our hearts and like the strawberry, to grow our faith so that all will notice the beauty in our hearts.
Putting this into action –
What area of your faith has God been trying to grow? Do you offer Him a fertile heart to work with…or is the soil of your heart hardened by events of life? Are you willing to listen for the tender voice of the Gardner encouraging you during the storms of life? Do you spend time in the SONshine each day?
There’s a recommended daily dose of Vitamin C for a healthy body. Ounce per ounce strawberries provide more Vitamin C than an orange. If you’re counting, strawberries are lower in calories. God recommends a daily dose of Vitamin C (Christ) found in His Word. The Vitamin C of Christ will make you stronger than you can imagine (Philippians 4:13) and...it’s always calorie free!
Instruction Manual
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119:15, 16
Welcome to 5th Street.
Welcome! If you've purchased a candle from the 5th Street Candle Collection, I personally, hope you are enjoying it. Welcome to something different 'The 5th Street Candle Collection' from our family to yours...tied with apron strings...faith in God’s plan...and love. These candles were created from the book 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith', now in it's 6th printing. 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith' was written after the passing of my mother. It's about my years growing up on 5th Street, a quaint little neighborhood tucked in Highland Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Our neighborhood was like the fictional Mayberry. There's so much of my history, my roots, on the big hill of 5th Street. It's where my story begins. If you can, visualize the tidy well manicured lawns of 5th Street, with small cozy homes lining the big hill...porches where you were always welcome and the neighbors visited over coffee and sweet tea as flags waved in the breeze...you're in the right spot, welcome to my childhood neighborhood.
In my book 'Heart of a Warrior' - A Legacy of Faith, I had the amazing honor to introduce readers to the ‘Warrior’s’ of 5th Street. A special place God planted a group of elderly women, mostly widows, that helped raise two young girls, as my mom was misdiagnosed and finally, even institutionalized. Among these faithful sweet women (I refer to them as the Aunt Bea’s of Mayberry in ‘Heart of a Warrior') was my sweet grandmother (Millie McKeever-Stout) and grandfather, four houses away. As my Dad spent time at the hospital with my mom, my grandparents, and God’s faithful Warrior’s of 5th Street...the Aunt Bea’s, helped raise two young girls. Each devotion in ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith, introduces you to these Aunt Bea’s of 5th Street sharing their story in a tiny version of a real life Mayberry, where God moved mountains...in the ordinary small acts of His Warrior’s
The 5th Street Candle Collection was created to share the stories of the women of 5th Street from the book ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith. These one-of-a-kind unique candles bring the devotions in 'Heart of a Warrior' to life. The simple brown tag on the candles have their favorite recipe (often the very scent the candle was created from) and part of their encouraging story. These candles light the flame of hope and encouragement, passed down from the 5th Street Warriors to you. A flame of love and devotion to God that will not be snuffed out from generation to generation.
The candles are made locally in Walnut, Iowa by a candlemaker. They are hand poured one at a time with pure soy and exceptionally high quality ingredients made only in the USA. These special candles tell a story. They're different. Just like the neighborhood on 5th Street, when you light the flame, you'll remember...a place where your memories and 5th Street intersect and your home is filled with the scent of cherished memories, laughter, and happiness in simpler times.
These candles are special...because they've been created to honor real people, real lives, and real women who had a story to tell. Welcome to 5th Street, relax sweet friend, you've found a place that is warm, welcoming, and filled with hope.
Blessings, Shelly Thompson
Author and Publisher of The Notebook Cafe - Inspired Words for the Journey
Welcome! If you've purchased a candle from the 5th Street Candle Collection, I personally, hope you are enjoying it. Welcome to something different 'The 5th Street Candle Collection' from our family to yours...tied with apron strings...faith in God’s plan...and love. These candles were created from the book 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith', now in it's 6th printing. 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith' was written after the passing of my mother. It's about my years growing up on 5th Street, a quaint little neighborhood tucked in Highland Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Our neighborhood was like the fictional Mayberry. There's so much of my history, my roots, on the big hill of 5th Street. It's where my story begins. If you can, visualize the tidy well manicured lawns of 5th Street, with small cozy homes lining the big hill...porches where you were always welcome and the neighbors visited over coffee and sweet tea as flags waved in the breeze...you're in the right spot, welcome to my childhood neighborhood.
In my book 'Heart of a Warrior' - A Legacy of Faith, I had the amazing honor to introduce readers to the ‘Warrior’s’ of 5th Street. A special place God planted a group of elderly women, mostly widows, that helped raise two young girls, as my mom was misdiagnosed and finally, even institutionalized. Among these faithful sweet women (I refer to them as the Aunt Bea’s of Mayberry in ‘Heart of a Warrior') was my sweet grandmother (Millie McKeever-Stout) and grandfather, four houses away. As my Dad spent time at the hospital with my mom, my grandparents, and God’s faithful Warrior’s of 5th Street...the Aunt Bea’s, helped raise two young girls. Each devotion in ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith, introduces you to these Aunt Bea’s of 5th Street sharing their story in a tiny version of a real life Mayberry, where God moved mountains...in the ordinary small acts of His Warrior’s
The 5th Street Candle Collection was created to share the stories of the women of 5th Street from the book ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith. These one-of-a-kind unique candles bring the devotions in 'Heart of a Warrior' to life. The simple brown tag on the candles have their favorite recipe (often the very scent the candle was created from) and part of their encouraging story. These candles light the flame of hope and encouragement, passed down from the 5th Street Warriors to you. A flame of love and devotion to God that will not be snuffed out from generation to generation.
The candles are made locally in Walnut, Iowa by a candlemaker. They are hand poured one at a time with pure soy and exceptionally high quality ingredients made only in the USA. These special candles tell a story. They're different. Just like the neighborhood on 5th Street, when you light the flame, you'll remember...a place where your memories and 5th Street intersect and your home is filled with the scent of cherished memories, laughter, and happiness in simpler times.
These candles are special...because they've been created to honor real people, real lives, and real women who had a story to tell. Welcome to 5th Street, relax sweet friend, you've found a place that is warm, welcoming, and filled with hope.
Blessings, Shelly Thompson
Author and Publisher of The Notebook Cafe - Inspired Words for the Journey
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‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith
Now in its fifth printing, this special book shared so many of those cherished moments from 5th Street. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, buried in between encouraging and inspirational posts on The Notebook Cafe Facebook page, I’ve shared the words God has put on my heart about my family, growing up on 5th Street, a legacy of faith handed down from generation to generation, laughter and joy a family celebrated life with, deep grief and loss including saying goodbye temporarily to my mom until the great reunion in heaven...and so much more. In His beautiful design...God shared the ordinary lives of 5th Street, and expanded the neighborhood to include so many people across the United States...thousands have ventured back to 5th Steet through the pages of ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith, and became part of our story. Seriously, I am so overwhelmed and humbled by all that God has done. So much more than I could have asked or imagined (Ephesians 3:20). Click here to learn more...the book ships free. Heart of a Warrior |