Good morning... On September 1st, Jennifer DeShetler posted the tribute above to her daughter, Audrey. I zoomed in close and read the plaque resting in the right front corner of the photo. "She is a mountain moving, giant slaying, world changing warrior. She walks with Jesus. That is her game changing strategy." What a perfect description of audacious [...]
Good morning... Two weeks ago, our Fab 5 friend group circled up with Jennifer DeShelter over lunch. Jennifer is the mother of beloved Audrey, who passed away fifteen months ago after a fifteen year battle with pediatric cancer. Then last week, Audrey's dad, Ben, posted this moving message on Facebook. ****** This week would have marked the beginning [...]
Good morning... The timing was perfect. We met on August 31st, softly celebrating the end before a new beginning. We began by reading a short Scripture. After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an [...]
Good morning... The night after last week's lunar eclipse, we experienced the full moon of August. Bright. Plump. Rising high in the sky. The following day, I went on a long walk. I noticed a tree stump laying low in the dirt. Hollow. Decaying. Carved out to her core. [...]
Good morning... A gorgeous sunset was followed by a rare phenomenon. "A stunning near-total partial lunar eclipse occurred overnight between August 27 and August 28, 2026," says Space.com. "At its peak, the Earth's dark central shadow, or umbra, covered 96.2% of the full Sturgeon Moon, tinting it a dramatic crimson or copper "blood moon" color." [...]
Good morning... Fires and floods. Earthquakes and wars. Disease, division, and death around the globe. Closer to home, our nearby neighbors face poverty, hunger, and homelessness. In our own families, we struggle with divorce, depression, and debilitating addiction. In recent days, it feels like hard things are happening everywhere. What do we do with all this pain? Henri [...]
Good morning... Moonlight peeks through the shutters above our tub. "Another full moon is on her way," I think, noticing the slow passage of time. I am grateful for the tiny bladder of our little thirteen year old dog, Gracie. She takes me outside in the middle of most nights. Without stepping barefoot into the dark, cooling air, [...]
Good morning... As the moon thickens above our home, I think back on our sacred weekend at the Ignatius House Retreat Center. Abiding in the quietness of now, I pull out my hand-scribbled notes. I return to the first quote shared on Friday night, the first teaching, the first song. "I remind myself that we are never promised [...]
Good morning... Up in the middle of night's darkness, I wonder, "God, where do we begin praying for loved ones facing death, divorce, depression?" I pull out a poem we received at this weekend's retreat at Ignatius House, and I whisper it out loud on behalf of all who are in pain, dear ones hurting deeply. ****** “Beloved [...]
Good morning... On retreat at Ignatius House Retreat Center, we savored words from the New Zealand Prayer Book before we headed into two days and two nights of silence. Then we quietly stepped outside at the setting of the sun. Meandering through the gorgeous grounds, I took pictures of the blossoming [...]
