Good morning... A friend's comment caused an important shift. "People do not die of cancer," she said. "People live with cancer." I suppose it is the same with Alzheimers, heart disease, and grief. With the moments we are given, might we ask, "God, how might I best live this day?" It was almost time for the Passover Feast. [...]
Good morning... Without our dogs, I would miss so much. Finger-to-fur time. Companionship on walks. Eyes that melt the tensions of life. Adorable sleeping snores. The loud lapping of water. The funny habit of flipping and chasing food. A loving ear to lean on, always. Whole-bodied happiness as anyone walks in the door. Without our dogs, I would [...]
Good morning... On my 61st birthday, I wake to an empty home, two dogs, and one spring birthday doll. My husband is away in Nicaragua, checking out a possible location for his upcoming new adventure as travel director for Lovett Expeditions. One daughter is in a wedding in Nashville, Tennessee; the other daughter is visiting with college friends [...]
Good morning... In the middle of the night, I pull out the "blob tree" tree that I crafted during our therapeutic community group at PAWkids this week. I know there is violence on the corner of a distant branch. I know there is loneliness and isolation and despair. But, feeling like the purple person on the perch, I [...]
Good morning... As she read to me over the phone this poem by Ranier Maria Rilke, I calmed into my body in a very settled way. "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don't let yourself lose me." Embodying this whisper, everything is [...]
Good morning... "God, thank You for allowing me to sleep through the night." This prayer fills me as I wake. Extended sleep is a rare occurrence for me, a listening nocturnal writer. "7:34," says my phone as I take my first peek. What a restorative luxury, this sleeping through the night. Now my prayers lift a protective covering [...]
Good morning... "A dear friend sent this to me," she texted yesterday. "Thought it was too lovely not to share with my other dear friend Sue!" With too many cooks in my mind's chaotic kitchen, I opened the blog post. Breathing. Focusing. Taking time. I fed on calming wisdom. ****** A New Prayer for Anxiety by Esther Liu, [...]
Good morning... Up in the middle of the night, I read the Post Hope blog message crafted by Elizabeth, the daughter-in-law of my longtime soul friend. Elizabeth has been invited to share her story at a gala for the American Cancer Society tonight. Prayers go out to her, her friends and her family as they attend this long [...]
Good morning... Evil is not a word I use very often. Yet, in yesterday's post I shared the words from Romans 12:21 bleached into my tattered shirt: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." After waking from my second sleep, I re-read our blog post before opening a weekly devotional sent to my inbox. [...]
Good morning... As I have shared with you, this season in my life is saturated with learning and teaching about the Enneagram, a study of the nine basic types of people we meet in the world. This dynamic measure of spiritual transformation, conceived of by the Christian desert mothers and fathers in the fourth century, helps to explain [...]
