Good morning... I smile at this framed cross-stitch saying my mom made for me a few years back. During the pandemic pause, my mom watched from afar as our ministry to women continued to thrive, mainly through our interactive daily blog posts and through individually scheduled walk-and-talks, outside, one-on-one, social distanced. When my 58th birthday came around in [...]
Good morning... "What are you doing with this unreturned library book from Wellington, Florida?" my husband wisely asked as we were cleaning out our messy office. Of course, amid all the discarded used cookbooks, I had been drawn to this quirky paperback on the cluttered shelf at Goodwill. On the front, an image of a handcrafted flower. On [...]
Good morning... "Silence guards the inner heat," writes Nouwen on page 45 in The Way of the Heart. "This inner heat is the life of the Holy Spirit within us. Thus, silence is the discipline by which the inner fire of God is tended and kept alive." Nouwen continues: "Diadochus of Photiki offers us a concrete image: 'When [...]
Good morning... This week the Summer Zoom Study group completed our first book, Henri Nouwen's The Way of The Heart. Thoroughly enjoying this read, we discovered several fascinating, new insights. One nugget of nourishment is found on page 63: "The Desert Fathers did not think of solitude as being alone, but as being alone with God. They did [...]
Good morning... My friend has a cat who companions her beautifully. Our little dog is a lot like her cat. Our precious pets teach us so much about love, about life, about God's gentle presence. I was recently nudged to email my friend: "This poem made me think of you, rocking with your cat curled on your lap, [...]
Good morning... As we walked around the horse farm, we talked candidly about the unstoppable transitions closing in on each of us. We shared our fears, our insecurities, our mistakes, and our doubts. At one moment along the path, we naturally stopped for a tender, tearful embrace. It felt right, totally right, enveloping each other in a hug, [...]
Good morning... "Good morning Sue!" she wrote after yesterday's blog post, Might We Tip Toward Joy? "I loved this morning’s reflection! We are savoring the Western version of your friend’s joy-filled remedy for grief. Here in Jackson Hole with our adult children, along with one of their sweet girlfriends and another college friend, we are savoring gorgeous hikes, [...]
Good morning... "Two sentences stay with me from our text string this week," I wrote to a friend who is away at the beach. "I am wondering what you would think of me forming a blog post around your two lively sentences: 'In dealing with our transition, it is good to have crystal clear Caribbean water and sun...books...dinners [...]
Good morning... Amid a season of transition, I wrote in my journal in the middle of a sleepless night: "I feel so completely discombobulated. Everything in me and around me is in disarray. Books strewn. Couch cushions cock-eyed. Suitcase from my weekend travels unzipped but not unpacked. All of the pedals are off of the bloom. So many [...]
Good morning... During my quiet weekend away, I experienced a unique communion. Instead of broken bread and poured out wine, I sipped light in my morning coffee. As we ponder this inviting picture, what insights are stirred? We have a fuller confirmation of the message of the prophets. You would do well to pay close attention to this [...]
