Good morning... A friend just happened to send me this happy yellow saying on the morning our first grandson visited our home for the first time. I witnessed this enduring truth in action. Charlie is being smiled into smiling, loved into loving and eventually he will be talked into talking and sung into singing. [...]
Good morning... I went to the estate sale of a friend who was retiring and moving after thirty fertile years. Instantly, I was drawn to the plaque hanging in her kitchen: "Feel free to sing and dance - you many not get a second chance." So I dished out the $2.00 and came home with the fun find. [...]
Good morning... The Juneteenth holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans on this day in 1865. June 19th is the perfect day for the Obama Presidential Center, in the south side of Chicago, to open its welcoming doors to the public. In yesterday's opening ceremony, Michelle Obama spoke these encouraging words. "Y'all, hope is all we have, [...]
Good morning... I love the rhythm of our Women's Ministry at Northside Church. We enjoy a fertile fall semester and a wonderful winter/spring semester, then, for the summer, we channel all of our study and our service opportunities into a few awesome options. Our weekly summer reading group begins at 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 3rd. Our first [...]
Good morning... Remembering the valor of the men and women who have served our country over the years, Ronald Reagan speaks our truth in the video below. "Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply, it has a cost." Wikipedia explains: "Valor generally refers to great courage, bravery, and strength of mind, especially in the face [...]
Good morning... On Thursday around noontime, we snapped the final picture of the semester. This week, our classes finished up Parker Palmer's beloved book Let Your Life Speak. Out loud, we read these words from page 76 of the last chapter: "In retrospect, I can see in my own life what I could not see at the time [...]
Good morning... On Sunday, I scheduled my day around being home by 7:00 pm to watch 60 Minutes. I did not want to miss the interview between Scott Pelley and Ben Sasse, offering lessons for America. Now, up in the middle of the night, I revisit the transcript and share portions of the exchange which touch me most [...]
Good morning... "I wanted to thank all of you who supported Eliza’s Entourage," wrote Cathy Darland, Eliza's grandmother and a beloved member of our Wednesday afternoon class. "This weekend we raised over $544,000 for Childhood Cancer research! It was an amazing evening! The night was very emotional, but our sweet Eliza was certainly the star of the show. [...]
Good morning... Tonight is a very special night for four-year-old Eliza. In front of an adoring crowd, she will walk the Rally Foundation Runway at the Georgia Aquarium. The Rally Foundation exists to fund the most promising research in the treatment of childhood cancers. "Eliza has requested that we all wear pink," said her grandmother, Cathy, who is [...]
Good morning... "This photo popped up this morning," wrote Jennifer DeShetler yesterday. "This is what I was thinking of when I shared the cake kits for needy families. Audrey made her brother's birthday cake every year. This photo was taken when she was 8 years old (12 years ago)." "Wow!" I replied. "What a picture of loving kindness. [...]
