What is Sword and a Song?

A cluttered wooden table with various items including Sword and a Song printed letters, notebooks, printed papers, a cup of coffee, a ball of yarn, knitting needles, a crumpled tissue, a box of tissues, a pen, and a black smartphone.

Sword and a Song is a quarterly letter of encouragement to the Sisters of the Wooden Spoon-the women engaged in the skills, vocation, and craft of cultivating home: a guild of homemakers in far flung outposts.

In a day when the meaning and reality of love, family, home, hope and so much more have been lost, skilled homemakers have the opportunity to re-enchant, re-establish and re-form the community around us. But, when I once again have failed at whole wheat tortillas and dinner is on the line, that reality eludes me. It’s hard to keep the long game in sight. Homemaking is a radical tool for the building of the kingdom of Christ and a means to give glory to God on the earth. I want to voice that truth; I want us to voice it to each other, to reach into what is often lonely isolated work with encouragement and truth.

I have been writing and mailing letters to the frontline of woman engaged in this work, to the Sisters of the Wooden Spoon, since 2020. Over the years I have gathered other women with a heart to do the same, through writing, art, poetry, quotes, and personal letters from the home-front of homemaking. Most portions of the letter come to you in our own handwriting. I desire to create something real, tangible, which actually leaves you encouraged and refreshed.

A variety of fresh vegetables on a marble countertop, including potatoes, carrots, a green bell pepper, a purple chili pepper, chives, garlic, and leek.

Quarterly, I mail out a letter of encouragement called Sword and a Song, full of art work, quotes, and poems to the Sisters of the Wooden Spoon with much prayer that it would refresh and encourage. If you too are a homemaker, this is for you.

Want to join the sisterhood? Click here

A woman with short, gray hair, wearing glasses and a blue dress, sitting on outdoor steps, holding a brown dog with a black collar. A bucket of cut flowers flowers is in front of her.

Founder and creator of the Sisters of the Wooden Spoon. I have a passion for sharing: books, information, plants, resources... I only half jokingly say that book recommendations are one of my spiritual gifts. I am throughly convinced that we can never individually become all we could while refusing to be readers; it’s a huge path to growth. I have a passion for homemaking and homemakers- the kind of passion that paints it’s face blue, beats it’s shield, and yells for others to run towards the fray. My homemaker’s exterior hides a warrior’s heart. I’m blessed with (and sometimes overwhelmed by) days full of children, cooking, gardening, fiber arts, farming, books and friends, and lots of small works, like sweeping, wiping, and mucking.

I’m Mrs. Burks…

A woman holding a young boy in a garden, surrounded by plants, flowers, and gardening tools, with a fence and trees in the background.

Click here to see my favorite homemaking books.

Don’t be fooled, though there are plenty of flowers and beauty in my day, there might be even more poo, literally and otherwise. Composted poo makes beautiful flowers…that’s how our good God works, beauty from ashes. Though I am called to this small area of public work, I do desire to mind my own business and work quietly with my hands for the glory of God.

I know I could grow this letter faster with social media, I know I could produce this letter quicker if I didn’t write each one by hand. But maybe I don’t need to grow fast…maybe I can be an oak instead of a weed. I’m learning to be patient, faithful and enjoy the process, and when I fail in all those things to get up and swing again.

If you’re not sure you are ready to join the Sisterhood, sign up for our free email newsletter.

Three copies of a booklet titled 'A Word and a Song,' with a cover image of a girl sitting at a table, flowers in a vase, and a window in the background. The booklet includes a subtitle 'Letter and Memorandums,' and a handwritten note 'Spring 2023' at the bottom.

The biggest piece is seeking God for what to write about, what would bless, serve, and encourage. I usually write in the early morning while the children sleep. Sometimes it flows like water and other times it’s like milking a stone.

I communicate with contributing writers and artists on deadlines, scans, formatting and edits to their work. All the writing goes through several proofreaders for markups and corrections.

Here’s an inside look at what goes into each letter…

A cluttered wooden desk with an open book, a glass jar with a metal straw, a computer monitor displaying photo editing software, a black keyboard, a computer mouse, a pen in a notebook, and various papers and notes. The background shows a wall with drawings, notes, and motivational quotes.

Then there is the mysterious process of copying out my writing by hand for an unknown future formatting. I scan that work, choose photos from my days here on the farm and begin laying out my pages using the open software Gimp and Scribus- which I still struggle to learn better how to use. When I have all the pages done, I upload the pages to the printing company. Then it is proofread again, changes made, corrected pages uploaded again, and I hit print with a deep sigh. Some weeks later a box arrives with all the letters, and the process stuffing envelopes, stamping, hand addressing, sealing and sending to you begins.

In between I purchase needed supplies, do a small amount of book keeping, and work on website, and promotion, and before I know it, it’s time to start the next letter.

Want to find a Sword and a Song in your mail box ?

Click here

A black mailbox with a red flag open on a grassy area, containing several postal envelopes, with trees and a blue sky in the background.