Another Mom Gone?

Good morning... Last Wednesday, I spent quality time with a new friend from Northside Church. She’s been a very active member for a long, long time, but, as she has taught art to kids during the day for over twenty years, she’s never been able to take one of the daytime classes I teach each semester. Now in [...]

We Gather Together In Grief

Good morning... I met a best friend over the coffee pot at Northside Church in 2003. In kindness, she reached out to me yesterday morning. Keenly aware of the tragedy I described last week in our post She Died Unexpectedly, my dear friend texted, "Hey I was thinking about you last night and this morning and I assume [...]

By |2026-07-13T04:49:24-04:00July 13th, 2026|Community, Death And Resurrection, God's Love, Grief, Healing, Pain|

She Died Unexpectedly

Good morning... In addition to my weekday work as Women's Ministry Director at Northside Church, I have joined my husband Steve on many Sundays as he has helped out a little Presbyterian church nearby. With their beloved pastor leaving, the small church family needed an ordained pastor to step into temporary gaps. As needed, he would pray and [...]

Freedom Is Not Free

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 [...]

One Lives. Another Dies.

Good morning... After four years of infertility and four miscarriages, this picture was taken just minutes after our first son Kyler was born thirty-one years ago. We see the blood, his gasp for breath, the total admiration in my face. Giving birth is risky, very very risky. Every time a baby is born, an awesome, terrifying miracle takes [...]

In Retrospect, I Can See

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 [...]

Yes. Walk In The Woods

Good morning... This short poem reminds me of two things. A recent walk in the woods with a dear friend. The final line from the obituary of our friend Tom McLain: "...carry on Tom's legacy: say yes to everything!" ****** "Yes, That’s When" by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer I like my body when I’m in the woods and I [...]

Trilliums And Tom McLain

Good morning... "Hi, Sue," my friend Vilda wrote after our post entitled Spring Wears A Green Jacket. "Did you know those green shoots pushing through the decayed log and ground are Trilliums — an endangered wild flower? Our farm is named Trillium Springs because we moved one single Trillium from our back yard in Atlanta to the farm [...]

By |2026-04-13T08:53:10-04:00April 13th, 2026|Death And Resurrection, Everyday life, Family and Friends, Joy, Sadness|

Spring Wears A Green Jacket

Good morning... Bursting on bare branches and decorating brown decay, vibrant green is everywhere! After weeks of thick yellow pollen and before the return of those pesky mosquitos, this weekend is perfectly positioned to exude joy and new life. Amidst blooming azaleas, towering pines and flowering dogwoods, the first full week of April always ushers in the Masters [...]

A Holy Spirit Prompting

Good morning... "I have loved your recent posts," wrote a friend I have known since 2003. "Pictures of the DeShelters made me happy but sad too. Crazy how we hold those feeling so closely. Especially at Easter. Matt (the Director of Contemporary Worship at Northside Church) did Holy Forever on Easter Sunday. That was the song I was [...]

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