Good morning... Since I took this photo of my parents last July, a lot has changed in their lives. Her fall. Her stroke. Her stint in the ICU. Tons of prayers. Miraculously she came back to us. A second fall. More time in the care center. A COVID outbreak. Ugly symptoms. Today for the first time since her [...]
Good morning... "Sue," he wrote, "while you’re probably familiar with these comforting words of Francis de Sales, your message, Too Much Suffering, brought them to mind. 'Have no fear for what tomorrow may bring. The same loving God who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. God will either shield you from [...]
Good morning... Yesterday we huddled around my husband's cell phone to watch a viral video. This week's footage of an avalanche closing in on a vulnerable hiker sparks an honest prayer. "Oh God. Oh dear God." The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. [...]
Good morning... While on weekend retreat at Ignatius House Retreat Center, I happened upon a touching story. ****** Love Does That (by Meister Eckhart) All day long a little burro labors, sometimes with heavy loads on her back and sometimes just with worries about things that bother only burros. And worries, as we know, can be more exhausting [...]
Good morning... "God is present with me this day," I read aloud one of my favorite Howard Thurman passages found in Meditations of the Heart. "God is present with me in the midst of my anxieties. . . . Little by little, I am beginning to understand that deliverance from anxiety means a fundamental growth in spiritual character [...]
Good morning... After texted about My Rough Re-entry, my friend responded with life-giving words. "You are carrying the load," she noticed, "yoking with so many." "This morning I read a Kate Bowler devotional (my Lenten practice) from _Good Enough_," my friend explained. "She wrote about this idea: Sometimes there are two selves - a 2:00 am self (the [...]
Good morning... After pushing through our post Pregnant With Worry, around 2:15 pm yesterday little Lucy breathed her first breath. She now joins her family and friends on the adventure of her lifetime. I was overjoyed to receive the birth texts and first photos shared with loved ones. When it comes to parenting newborns and toddlers, "Retrospect is [...]
Good morning... On January 6th, 2022, the Spirit of God spurred me to write an email to a pregnant young mom in our church family. As her due date came closer my regular prayers for her intensified, giving birth to the email exchange I share with you now. "Hello there," I wrote, and the following words tumbled onto [...]
Good morning... "Dear Sue," she emailed me yesterday. "I think today was a God moment as I read Henri Nouwen's post Know that You Are Welcome and then moved on to your message, You Are Welcome Here. As we emailed back and forth, I shared that I was also so surprised by the synchronicity of the Spirit. After [...]
Good morning... We are all creatures of habit. Left up to our own natural tendencies, we mindlessly repeat old patterns, again and again and again. For us to be guided by Christ's loving, living Spirit, we learn our best way to tangibly surrender ourselves to God's presence and welcome fresh power for the moment at hand. I am [...]
