Good morning... When I wrote the word "tandem" in yesterday's post, my thoughts were drawn back to an inspiring talk given by our dear friend, Beth Jordan. Beth went to heaven on October 11, 2017 after living fully with brain cancer through eight courageous years. (You may want to revisit her obituary.) I vividly remember one special evening [...]
Good morning... On my 61st birthday, I wake to an empty home, two dogs, and one spring birthday doll. My husband is away in Nicaragua, checking out a possible location for his upcoming new adventure as travel director for Lovett Expeditions. One daughter is in a wedding in Nashville, Tennessee; the other daughter is visiting with college friends [...]
Good morning... Many have lost loved ones this week all over the globe, but personally I have been touched by five deaths and one life. "I shed a few tears on the way to work," my husband said after school last Monday. "Eric Carmen died over the weekend, and they were playing his songs in tribute. I used [...]
Good morning... For thirteen consecutive years, our Women's Ministry at Northside Church hosted an annual gathering each spring. We called the well-attended evening event the "Women's Lenten Communion Service." Each year, we would invite a different woman from our faith community to share an uplifting talk about some pressing issue we might face in our lifetime. Together we [...]
Good morning... "It is a blessing to still have our mothers," a friend wrote after visiting her mom for her 86th birthday. I just returned home from Ohio after a successful surgery for my own 85-year-old mom. "Praise the Lord for good news about your mom's surgery, Sue!" wrote another dear friend. "Speaking of [...]
Good morning... Collected with discarded Christmas trees, our son brought home a gorgeous, white poinsettia, a lovely plant who is slightly past her prime. First, I drizzle water on her drying soil. Then, I tenderly pluck off her crumpled up parts - leaves, blooms, empty stems. Finally, I find the perfect spot for her to rest on the [...]
Good morning... Up in the middle of the night, I scroll through photos I snapped last month while visiting my parents in Ohio. As my mom and I went on a walk through the welcoming sidewalks of their senior living community, I took the picture above at one of her favorite resting spots on a bench outside the [...]
Good morning... Around 7:00 pm on Thursday night, an email was sent out by The Lovett School. After nearly 29 years of serving as the head chaplain, my husband, Steve, is taking on a new role at the school next year. As Chaplain Emeritus, Steve will expand his pastoral care to the wider Lovett community and create a [...]
Good morning... On Wednesday night in the Northside Church sanctuary, Ron Greer shared wisdom with us from his new book The Quiet House: Reflections on the Loss of a Spouse. He said, "This book is like a parable, a story with a lesson. Parable also means 'placing beside,' a story we place beside the story of our lives. [...]
Good morning... At eighty-five years old, my mom is beaming, buoyant, beautiful. She has pushed through really tough medical challenges these past few years. With her moving through the ICU twice, I have paid close attention to one of my favorite poets who has recently been writing about her own mother in the ICU. Her mom also has [...]
