Welcome to Maplehurst, a spacious place.
I’m a writer and gardener endlessly inspired by the shifting seasons and the ground beneath my feet. For the quiet, personal stories behind this website, I invite you to join my monthly newsletter.
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“A thoughtful, grounded work.” -Anne Bogel, creator of Modern Mrs. Darcy
“Is there a special prize for the best books about home? If so, I want to give it to Christie Purifoy.” -Myquillyn Smith, author of Cozy Minimalist Home
“As Purifoy so lyrically illustrates, placemaking isn’t just what we make of our places. It’s the spiritual practice of naming, of knowing, of remembering.” -Jen Pollock Michel, award-winning author of Teach Us to Want
“Carl Rogers said, ‘What is most personal is most universal.’ I kept thinking of that while reading Christie Purifoy’s smart and beautiful book.” -John Blase, author of The Jubilee: Poems
“Christie Purifoy has given the world a deeply beautiful and profound work of art.” -Kris Camealy, author of Come, Lord Jesus
I always think of early winter as a dreary time of year, but there is nothing dreary about this light, these clouds, and the last few golden leaves. The present moment often gives us beauty and goodness we did not anticipate.
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So many things in the world and in the news make me sad, and I feel helpless to do anything about them. But I have been given steady ground beneath my feet and people to love. I have dishes to wash and soup to prepare. I have a book to finish writing. A few bulbs still to plant. It’s more than enough to be getting on with.
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#autumnatmaplehurst #weareplacemakers
Nov 30
Everything is terrible but everything is beautiful. I’m talking about … Teenagers. So sweet and funny until I check his grades. Marriage. So much love, so why are we bickering? The clouds that finally brought not-quite-enough rain after months of drought. The state of my current book project. But let’s not talk about that. My kitchen! So full of good food. So full of messy crumbs and half-melted lettuce and something that might be a radish or maybe a beet.
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What is beautiful and terrible and too much and also a gift in your life these days?
Nov 21
Today, reading the election results, some Christians say “God has heard our prayers!” Others, reading the election results, cry “God, why did you not hear us?” The critic might say that both have shot their prayers toward an empty heaven where no one listens. The cynic might tell us God doesn’t care who is President and aren’t both sides awful? The wise one might say that prayer is not about asking and receiving but a reaching out for the hand of God. And the ordinary Christian? The one who doesn’t feel wise and worries about the state of the world? I think she might tell us, just keep praying. When we pray, something might shift out there in the world, but—even more likely— something might shift inside of us.
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Lord, help me to do justice. To love kindness. And to walk humbly with my God.
Nov 6
