Good morning…

As I prepared to speak at the kickoff gathering for the Moms in Prayer group at the Lovett School, I gathered pens for a writing activity. Pens from around my house. Pens from inside my purse. Pens from crazy crevices in my messy car.

Instead of just gathering pens like a fiend, God nudged me to slow down, to notice each pen. Some pens clearly came from a store bought bonus pack, generic blue or standard black. Bic. Pilot. Paper mate. Other one-of-a-kind pens were collected from places I had visited.

The Graduate hotel in Oxford, where our nineteen year old attends Ole Miss. Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center on Riverside Drive, a soulful slice of heaven-on-earth to me. Active Parenting Publishers, for whom I co-authored my first book. Reynolds Landing on Lake Oconee, where kind friends let us use their place. Sea Palms Resort on St. Simons Island, where all six of our family members vacationed for three nights this summer.

Am I weird?

Before I leave any hotel visit or special experience, I pick up a complimentary pen and put it in my purse. Some would say I am a hoarder, but I would say, “I love keeping symbols of my unique journey through life.”

Consciously connected to our collaborative God,
LORD, You know when I am resting
or when I am working,
and from heaven
you discover my thoughts.
You notice everything I do
and everywhere I go, (Psalm 139:2-3, CEV).

Consciously connected to our collaborative God,
“LORD, might I know when You are resting
or when You are working?
From earth may
I discover Your thoughts?
Might my plethora of pens help me notice everything You do, everywhere I go?”

…Sue…