“Yesterday no longer exists; today is fresh It is a clean canvas. The brushstroke of today hasn’t been created. It is daybreak.”
What happens when people who have tried love and failed are confronted with the possibility of finding love again? How does one navigate the uncharted course of making a new life with a new partner, after a relationship fails? When an estranged spouse returns?
These issues are entwined in the novella, The Sea That Binds Us, The Love That Frees Us.
Coming from a long career in professional psychology and education, Carol has begun a successful new vocation writing on a variety of topics. The newest release, a foray into the world of cookbooks titled, “Come, Taste and See,” focuses on food, family, and faith. The book comes with its accompanying apron printed with the colorful cover of her cookbook.
Now Available
COME TASTE & SEE
“Discover the heart of cooking with Come, Taste and See – a soulful blend of simple recipes, family blessings, and reflections on food, faith, and love.”
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Now Available
COME,TASTE & SEE
“Discover the heart of cooking with Come, Taste and See – a soulful blend of simple recipes, family blessings, and reflections on food, faith, and love.”
Step into the heart of home cooking with Come, Taste and See by Carol Funk. This inspiring collection combines simple, delicious recipes with heartfelt reflections on food, faith, and love. Celebrate family blessings and savor the joy of shared meals that nourish both body and soul.
A perfect read for anyone who finds comfort in the kitchen and meaning in every meal.
“Yesterday no longer exists; today is fresh It is a clean canvas. The brushstroke of today hasn’t been created. It is daybreak.”
What happens when people who have tried love and failed are confronted with the possibility of finding love again? How does one navigate the uncharted course of making a new life with a new partner, after a relationship fails? When an estranged spouse returns?
These issues are entwined in the novella, The Sea That Binds Us, The Love That Frees Us
The words tumbled from his quivering mouth like bits of broken shells scattered in the surf. “I never told her I loved her,” he repeated over and over.’
A Romance Wrought with Twists and Turns
Set at the Jersey Shore, the chance meeting between Anthony and Marilyn, from two very different walks of life, blossoms into a unique love story. The challenge of making a life worth living is fraught with twists and turns, but is ultimately nested in forgiveness, reconciliation and faith in God. It is an inspiring story that resonates with all phases of life championing hope and second chances.
‘You know, a life built on your job is not enough to make you happy.’
Recent Visits
Sayens Gardens at Hamilton Square, NJ
The serene feeling looking out on a pond surrounded by blooming rhododendrons and azaleas is a treat for the senses and the soul. Sayens Gardens featured a full display of late spring and early summer flowering plants and trees. My favorite spot is a bench surrounded by pastel rhododendrons overlooking the fountain and pond. Going to nature, especially here, is soothing, making every problem float away.
Closeup of sculpture in garden at Duke Estate
Visit to France
Earlier this summer, I traveled to the south of France on a Rhone River cruise and then took a bullet train to Paris. Provence, known for its Impressionist artists, sunflowers, poppies, and vineyards, features extraordinary light. Mt. Victoire, inspiring Cezanne, and Arles, where Van Gogh painted, were highlights. The cruise included views of castles, vineyards, and villages like Baux en Provence. Our trip ended in Lyon, renowned for French gastronomy, with a colorful sculpture bouquet welcoming us.
Visit to Margate ,NJ
The following pictures of Lucy the Elephant were taken in Margate, NJ near Atlantic City. Lucy is a colossus built over100 years ago as a roadside curiosity to draw in real estate investors to homesites at the Jersey Shore. Two other similar buildings were constructed at Cape May NJ and Coney Island, NY. Lucy is the only surviving building left in existence.
She was once a real estate office, a home, a speakeasy, and an Air B and B rental. She has survived hurricanes, fires and a lightening strike. In great disrepair, the local community began s “ Save Lucy the Elephant” campaign to raise money to refurbish Lucy after years of neglect. Recently the repairs have been completed and is open to the public. Open for rental as an event venue, Lucy has hosted birthday parties and a wedding.
Visit to Croatia and Italy
I had the opportunity to tour the scenic coast of western Croatia and then sail across the Adriatic Sea to Venice. Croatian landscape on its coast is very much like Tuscany and other parts of northern Italy. We explored some quaint hilltop towns, sampled their wines, and visited an olive oil manufacturing factory run by a local family. A highlight was going truffle hunting with our local guide, Nadia, a truffle huntress. We followed along to a special oak forest with her trained truffle hunting dog, Zara. Amazingly, Zara found the black truffles Nadia instructed some of our group to hide under random oak trees. In the truffle economy, black truffles are the most desirable and are sought after worldwide in the food industry. Because Croatian truffles are exclusively rated as the best in Europe, they command thousands of Euros per kilo. We sampled cicchetti (small snacks on bread) laced with truffle oil and truffle butter. Wonderful!
To avoid rough seas predicted for the day we were scheduled to sail to Venice, we headed for a side trip to the venerable city of Ravenna, Italy. Its magnificent mosaics in the mausoleum Galla Placidia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was well worth the detour.
As we sailed on to Venice, I was overwhelmed by the graceful beauty of the Venetian gothic architecture. The Byzantine domes, Agee arches, and pastel pink marble were stately, yet not imposing. It seemed to match the cosmopolitan ease the local people navigated the canals, bridges and neighborhood vaporessi (water buses) that linked the city.
A highlight of our trip was a day spent in Burano, an island district of the city. Burano is one of Venice’s outer islands rife with small fishing villages. Urban legend purports the deep fog that rolls in from the Adriatic blurs fishermen’s view of their homes on shore. Burano is blanketed in thick fog, especially in winter. For this reason, homes are required to be painted in bright vibrant colors to be seen offshore. My first impression was that Burano exploded in a profusion homes in popsicle colors. It felt like a
festival atmosphere, despite convoys of vaporetti depositing waves of tourists, ready to get a taste of life here. Enjoy the pictures!
Henry with toque:
In case I had any illusions of grandiosity about my cooking skills impressing my family, children will always cut me down to size. Henry, my grandson and sous chef, came to dinner one night. I served cabbage rolls from a Polish recipe from his great grandmother and namesake, Henrietta. The dish was steamy and savory, perfect for a wintry night. He made a face. You know the kind of face I mean. Encouraging him to try it, I said,”it is very tasty and you will like it. Look, it even has surprise hamburger meat and rice that you like.” I knew I was still in trouble. Henry shook his head and loudly proclaimed, ” Emergency Pizza!”
Blessed Christmas sending joyful greetings for you and your family with prayers for inner peace.
Through the eyes of a child, the world is joyful. From our little sous chef, Henry
Closeup of sculpture in garden at Duke Estate
Bromeliad blooming at Duke Estate
A visit to orchid greenhouse at Duke Estate
Lady slipper plant at orchid greenhouse, Duke Estate, SommervilleNJ
Come, Taste and See
Introduction
A unique cookbook with simple recipes and reflections on food, family, and faith. It explores the sensory, meditative, and spiritual aspects of cooking through personal stories, funny anecdotes, and poetry. Includes chapters on ‘Food as Love,’ ‘Fasting,’ and ‘Special Family Blessings’ in various languages. The book also features space for your own family blessings and recipes. Now available on Amazon.
‘These videos capture recipes in the bread and soup chapters in Come, Taste and See. More to come. Try them!’
Sprezzatura. The art of concealing art. Art, constructed so delicately, shrewdly calculated, observed, deeply understood and specially iterated with a human voice, it no longer looks like art
It seems like something that has always existed. It has a life of its own. It breathes. It feels. It smiles. It weeps. It tells a story when no story is given. By its presence—from the inside of the viewer and inside of the artist, it narrates the story. For a single, sacred moment, the art and the beholder are one.
The artist, the producer of the object of beauty, merges so completely, he is absorbed, becoming one with his creation. Over time, the artist becomes invisible, disappearing into his art. What is his identity when his life has been consumed, creating objects of beauty over and over again?
He is no longer a person with feelings and needs, but an icon. A product. A brand. Only a few, perhaps a muse, a mentor, get beyond the artifice of what the artist produces and contact the mind of the artist. Few are allowed the privilege of communicating with his heart.
Michelangelo Buonarroti was a rare artist of genius who allowed his true heart to be consoled. Long-standing depression, partial blindness, physical pain, barbs of jealousy, and isolation are the conditions no one sees, no one consoles. Except for one extraordinary woman whom Michelangelo loved but would not have. Her name, engraved on his heart and captured in his painting and poetry, was Vittoria Colonna, Marchesa of Pescara.
She too experienced loss and hardship despite the opulence of her life as a daughter of Roman nobility and the young widow of the Spanish war hero, Ferrante D’Avalos of the royal house of Aragon.
For Michelangelo and Vittoria, it was not their destiny to share a married life together. Yet their intimate, joyful relationship is captured in painting, madrigals, and sonnets they shared.
Michelangelo's Sonnet for Vittoria Colonna:
Not even the best of artists has any conception
that a single marble block does not contain
within its excess, and that is only attained
by the hand that obeys the intellect.
The pain I flee from and the joy I hope for
Are similarly hidden in you, lovely lady,
Lofty and divine; but, to my mortal harm,
My art gives results the reverse of what I wish.
Love, therefore cannot be blamed for my pain,
Nor can your beauty, your hardness, or your scorn,
Nor fortune, nor my destiny, nor chance,
If you hold both death and mercy in your heart
At the same time, and my lowly wits, though burning,
Cannot draw from it anything but death. (Sonnet for Vittoria Colonna by Michelangelo, poem 151, ca. 1538-44)
About The Author
Carol Funk, a first-time author, has discovered a newfound passion for writing after a fulfilling career in professional psychology. With a background that includes private practice, family court, schools, and mental health facilities, she brings a unique perspective to her storytelling.
Her extensive travels across diverse countries and cultures have exposed her to various religions, revealing the universal themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Carol holds a doctorate in professional psychology from Rutgers University and enjoys pursuing her artistic interests, including watercolor painting and teaching the sacred art of iconography.
Her extensive travels across diverse countries and cultures have exposed her to various religions, revealing the universal themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Carol holds a doctorate in professional psychology from Rutgers University and enjoys pursuing her artistic interests, including watercolor painting and teaching the sacred art of iconography.
‘Leave space in your life to grow relationships that will last. Make time for them and nurture them.’
Social Media
Carol has a Facebook page and an Instagram presence. Enjoy her social media posts and join the conversation! Share your insights, experiences, and comments with her friends and followers.
