Good morning... As we begin this Thanksgiving week, there are places to be and people to see, with a huge list of to-do's to accomplish. Check. Check. Check. We embody the common phrase, "Don't just stand there. Do something." Yet I am drawn to live this week differently. I return to one sentence from our book for this [...]
Good morning... I have a story to tell you about a dog, my dad, and the timing of God. After the loss of our beloved dog Tate in June, we have been working for the past six weeks to find the next golden retriever puppy for our family. With the help of our dog-loving friend, we located our [...]
Good morning... Most every day, I walk the sidewalk pictured above. One day, no leaves. The next day, a ton. What a silent, visual truth: The neighborhood trees, just like you and me, are altered by the rainstorms of life. As I have been trying to "obey my muddle clear" this week, I enjoyed lunch with an old, [...]
Good morning... “What kills a soul?" asks Shauna Niequist author of Present Over Perfect. She answers herself: "Exhaustion, secret-keeping, image management." "And what brings a soul back from the dead?" she wonders. "Honesty, connection, grace.” For me, what will it be? Exhaustion. Secret-keeping. Image management. Honesty. Connection. Grace. As I notice where my heart is drawn, I focus [...]
Good morning... Our weekly Thursday class decided to meet monthly in this summer season. As we gathered last week, one of the women shared a page from a devotional book she loves. She read the following words to us aloud, before we unpacked our thoughts as a group. The word "standby" [...]
Good morning... Our nine year old dog went to heaven recently, and what I learned from our choice to release Tate's spirit from her cancer-filled body helped me this week. A friend called, distraught. Their ten year old dog had inoperable tumors growing in his liver. He would happily walk their five mile route, then he would suddenly [...]
Good morning... I send the photo above to my friend in Atlanta, exchanging a string of texts with these loving thoughts. Me: I wake this morning in the nest of the upper floor of my friend’s old home in Connecticut. Jayne is a soulmate from my graduate school days at UConn. This image greets me as I walk [...]
Good morning... I have been texting with a friend who is making a very hard decision. "I woke up thinking about Tate," she wrote. "And the unwanted space in your house. I am so sorry, Sue. I haven't called because we are heartsick and stomach sick. I feel God is guiding us to memory care. We are crying [...]
Good morning... Each dark night when I am stirred from sleep, I find myself in search of a pearl, a pearl of wisdom, a fresh revelation. Like a mesmerized mermaid, I dive deep down, deep down to the foot of Christ's heavy cross. There I discover a gem, a gift of the Holy Spirit. [...]
Good morning... As I blogged about Our Retreat In Review, I shared with you our acronym to S.T.I.R. U.P. the Gifts of God. S. – Savor Six Senses T. – Trust God’s Time I. – “I” Must Die R. – Release All Resistance U. – Unite With God P. – Power Rises Up Grow God’s Gifts Immediately, a reader responded: "Sue, what are six [...]
