Good morning... Collected with discarded Christmas trees, our son brought home a gorgeous, white poinsettia, a lovely plant who is slightly past her prime. First, I drizzle water on her drying soil. Then, I tenderly pluck off her crumpled up parts - leaves, blooms, empty stems. Finally, I find the perfect spot for her to rest on the [...]
Good morning... From our list of questions posed to begin this brand new year, her spirit was drawn to the final one shared, "Will I choose awe today?" God swept in, creatively bolstering her response, connecting her to the inspiring article below. Please join me now, as together we walk in awe. ****** An Awe Walk by Dacher [...]
Good morning... Essential things linger from yesterday's post, Key Questions For This New Year. I follow my own encouragement and choose three questions that are whispering for my attention. Can I soften? Can I soften some more? Which comes first, forgiveness or the peace? What's at stake? Hard. Selfish. Controlling. Forcing our own way doesn't get us where [...]
Good morning... I am not sure how I missed it, but this poem came into my email on New Year's Day. Maybe I did not have the time, the margin, the courage to consider these key questions then. Now seems like the perfect moment for me to ponder this powerful poem. Are you open to joining me, friend? [...]
Good morning... Yesterday, my dad sent me a really encouraging article. After offering nineteen powerful thoughts, the author concludes, "Find one, two or 10 you can relate to — and use them effectively in your daily life." I actually found five which speak to me most loudly. Now as you read through these nuggets of wisdom, which top [...]
Good morning... When I was a young mom of four little kids, a wise woman from our church shared an important nugget of wisdom. "Children are not for molding," she said. "Children are for unfolding." Through the change in one single word, God continues to guide me. To me, molding means pushing, shaping, exerting control. The change of [...]
Good morning... With me taking a Sabbath rest from writing each Sunday, this is our final blog post for 2023. I feel drawn to pass along the encouragement a friend shared with me. In the midst of her journey with breast cancer, she wrote, "Yesterday I read the whole book Chris Beats Cancer by Chris Wark. It was [...]
Good morning... "I am feeling the magic of just being with, fully present," I email a friend whose father passed away this year. This week I am hanging out with my dad in Ohio as we support my mom, who is slowly recovering in the hospital from a life-threatening infection. "Keeping quiet. Letting things unfold. Trusting God with [...]
Good morning... When I wake from my second sleep, I do not flip on the lights. Instead, I plug in the single strand on our Christmas tree. Striking a yummy smelling match, I quietly light candles. One. Two. Three. Four. In darkness, we begin each day. The natural rising of the sun quietly sheds light. This week, I [...]
Good morning... I love reading the wise words of Howard Thurman etched in the handwriting of my friend. "You are the only you that has ever lived; your idiom is the only idiom of its kind in all existences, and if you cannot hear the sound of the genuine in you, you will all of your life spend [...]
