Good morning... On the same morning my 86 year old mom left the skilled nursing care center to return home to the villa with my dad in Ohio, a dear, dear friend settled her own aging mom into her new home, a memory care facility in Huntsville, Alabama. That same evening, another loyal friend rested beside her mom [...]
Good morning... "Hi Sue," she wrote after yesterday's blog post. "Up early today and feeling connected to you and your thoughts. Your messages always draw me back toward a centering orbit. Thank you for the beacon, the reminder - that every day we live, breathe, and walk through our day - is the most precious blessing." Below her [...]
Good morning... After re-reading yesterday's post, This Unique Summer, I embodied a fresh prayer on my morning walk. "LORD, please help me to be grateful for each creature greeting me on my path, and help me to recognise an angel at every corner." Soon, I happened upon this stack of old tires. Piled up. Strewn about. Disheveled, in [...]
Good morning... As I came upon this grasshopper, motionless on the rocky road, I thought of one of the most sobering segments in Scripture. Powerful and poetic, Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 describes in great detail our natural aging process. Here we visit the verses in the VOICE translation. And so we come to the end of this musing over life. [...]
Good morning... Yesterday, June 9th, hosted two special birthdays. My mom turned 86 years old in Ohio, and Audrey DeShetler turned 19 years old here in Atlanta. Born on the same day, sixty-seven years apart, both of these women have a strong drive to live life fully. After falling [...]
Good morning... Brewing coffee for my dad and myself, I drank from her "Yeah Mom!" mug. Before surgery to repair her broken hip, I was so grateful to see my mom, to kiss her on the forehead, and to share with her my love. After my sister took me to the airport for my return trip back to [...]
Good morning... We enjoyed a slow, low-key day after my parents' joyful Music Man performance at their senior living community in Ohio. Waking late. Talking over breakfast. Enjoying a relaxing morning together. Going to an appointment with the eye doctor. Grateful for good news, "Everything looks great." Stopping by Dairy Queen to order an ice cream cake for [...]
Good morning... Parents age. Heck, we all age. Might we enjoy supporting this natural process? As we mature, life's essentials become key. Eating. Sleeping. Feeling well. Nurturing friendships. Connecting with family. Remembering good times. I enjoy visiting my parents in Ohio, because I quite easily relax into their slower pace. Coffee. Banana. Peanut butter. Conversations about life. Planning [...]
Good morning... I picked out the perfect Mother's Day card, wrote my loving thanks in my own handwriting, and stuck it in the mail earlier this week. As my mom opens the card and feels the love of our family, I hope she will listen closely to the lyrics of the music video below, A Mother Like You [...]
Good morning... Recently I snapped the photo above outside the home of a woman in our young mom's class from church. I love the colorful toys and chairs in the yard, the tiny basketball hoop in the driveway, and carseats leaning up against the garage. "Your yard and home are just so happy!" I texted her in the [...]
