Good morning... My 86 year old mom has endured a series of falls, several surgeries, and nearly three years of slow recovery. One thing she loves is cards, cards that make her laugh. Freely displaying these clever treasures all around their villa, she is surrounded by tangible symbols of the lasting love of family and friends. This is [...]
Good morning... With my parents in the performance of the Holiday Choir at their senior living community, this was a good long weekend to come to Ohio for a visit. Sunday was a full day. Church. Kiwanis pancake breakfast with Santa and our extended family. Creating their Christmas card. Getting out ornaments for their live tree. Quality time [...]
Good morning... As we savor memorable moments from this holiday week, what experiences will leave a lasting mark? Unexpected joys. Life-shaping conversations. Painful realizations. Leftover feelings. Learning to love through whatever "is" allows us to process our part in this mystery called life. To savor means to enjoy the full flavor of something, especially by digesting every ounce [...]
Good morning... A short poem greets me in the middle of this full-bellied night. ****** One on Thanksgiving one hand opens in grief the other in gratitude pressing them together to pray —Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer ****** All across the globe, we open one hand in grief, missing those missing from our homes. Our other hand holds gratitude for [...]
Good morning... For many of us the Thanksgiving holiday involves people, lots of imperfect people. Well-meaning and flawed, imperfection is baked into our human nature. To prepare myself for the stretching hours ahead, I return now to wisdom found on page 184 in The Great Spiritual Migration by Brian McLaren. [...]
Good morning... As the Spirit of God carries us through our daily lives, we naturally, collectively migrate toward the all-inclusive, never-ending, gracious love of God. Our great spiritual migration mirrors a mysterious phenomenon called murmuration. A murmuration is large group of birds, usually starlings, that all fly together, swooping, dipping, changing direction unexpectedly. As starlings return to their [...]
Good morning... Living miles away makes a family visit even sweeter. With my mom's slow recovery from a series of serious surgeries, she has not felt up for a large family gathering since November of 2021. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," explains the truth we experienced this weekend. On Friday evening, our immediate family of seven flew [...]
Good morning... On Friday morning, I received the above text. A beloved member of our church family went to heaven last week. Kind. Generous. Incredibly beautiful, inside and out. This photo on my phone captures well the spirited Junie Parker I will always remember. Her obituary begins: "Natalae Waters 'Junie' Parker died peacefully in her home on September [...]
Good morning... The bottom fell out of the sky last week, as Hurricane Helene's flooding rains and devastating winds upended normal life for many in Georgia and for our neighbors in surrounding states. These photos show the impact across our nearby neighborhood. The delicious Canoe restaurant, where we often enjoy happy hour beside the Chattahoochee River. Across the [...]
Good morning... Journeying through fog and mist our final three days, on Tuesday afternoon all twelve of us completed our Camino pilgrimage. Walking seventy-two miles of sacred trails in six life-giving days, we soaked in the magnificence of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the holy spot where the remains of St. James have been laid to rest. [...]
