Sage for Sausage and Salt 'n' Herbs for Goat Cheese--Are We Salty Enough?

A couple days ago, I turned our extra milk into goat cheese as usual.

I mixed in salt, parsley, basil, oregano, dried pepper flakes and rosemary, and hung the little bundle up to drip dry.

I always love turning the cheese out of the cheesecloth and seeing how round and smooth it looks,

with speckles of herbs and spices.

The goat cheese is so good with a few herbs added in.

We made sausage recently, too, with various herbs and spices mixed in:
home grown sage grown by Rose, and rosemary, for two of them. 

That soft, homemade goat cheese is always much more appealing with salt and herbs added,
and the sausage wouldn't be sausage without the salt and spices.
"Ye are the salt of the earth," Christ told His disciples. "But if the salt has lots its savor, how then will it be seasoned?" 
"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt,
that you might know how you ought to answer every man." Col. 4:6
Grace is compared to salt.
The graces of kindness--and honesty, gentleness--and firmness, gratitude and problem-solving.

Our family was discussing this evening about our speech and how it affects others, and how our speech (or silence) affects others.
Sometimes our speech can hurt others, if we are mean or make comparisons or say things that make ourselves sound superior,
but sometimes our silence can hurt, too.
Just because we are silent does not mean we are kind.
Sometimes people keep quiet in certain circumstances just to save their own hides, and then the person who speaks up about things ends up taking the brunt of the criticisms
while the silent people who considered themselves wise for keeping quiet sigh with relief that they "stayed out of it" and don't have to suffer for speaking up or getting involved.
Or they join in the criticisms themselves--just later with people who agree with them so their hides won't be tanned.

That is not acting in truth, when we stay silent when it counts,

and then speak up when it doesn't count. 

I so appreciate the friendship we have enjoyed with the Zarkovackis, our home school friends, with whom we have been friends now for nearly 4 years. Audrey, the mother, has always been kind and gracious and unselfish. She has also been open and honest. She speaks up about any differences or disagreements, or things she is not comfortable with. I tell her I appreciate that so much, because I know exactly what is okay with her and/or her husband, and what isn't. And then I can respect her boundaries and she mine.  And she is always respectful.

Because of her honesty, unselfishness, and respect, (and I hope I have been the same with her) we have been able to remain good friends. I keep being amazed over and over that this lady who is so much more gracious and kind and sweet than I am remains friends and lets her children be friends with mine, when we are kind of hill billy and country hicks and blunt and a little messy and don't have our children and other things under as good control or as well disciplined as hers.
I think Audrey's behavior is a wonderful example of having salt.
"Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another." Mat. 9:50