Good morning... In the middle of this droopy, drizzly night, I think back on the most meaningful two hours of this week. On Sunday night, Elizabeth, the 38-year-old daughter-in-law of our dear friend Joan, shared a really hard post, explaining that her colon cancer had spread. "Any chance you all can have lunch with Joan and I tomorrow?" [...]
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... I love the way God bubbles up to blossom between us. The Holy Spirit nudged a loyal friend to share encouragement with our class yesterday: "Thinking of each of you and your families this 3rd Sunday in Lent. What a beautiful reflection below from my ever-favorite Henri Nouwen." ****** The Spring of Living Water by Henri [...]
Good morning... My prayers are sent forth to the families and friends of the two young people who died this week at the University of Georgia. A young woman was murdered while on a run in a familiar area and a young man hung himself in a freshman dorm. Classes were canceled yesterday as the whole community processes [...]
Good morning... "It is a blessing to still have our mothers," a friend wrote after visiting her mom for her 86th birthday. I just returned home from Ohio after a successful surgery for my own 85-year-old mom. "Praise the Lord for good news about your mom's surgery, Sue!" wrote another dear friend. "Speaking of [...]
Good morning... I loved overhearing my parents' conversation in the kitchen as I got ready in the living room for my mom's surgery day. "Well, I had my first surgery on Labor Day and now hopefully my last reversal surgery on President's Day," astutely said my 85-year-old mom. "You can tell I was a kindergarten teacher, always moving [...]
Good morning... These final words of a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks greeted us as we entered the Sonya Clark exhibit at the High Museum of Art last Saturday. "...we are each other's harvest we are each other's business we are each other's magnitude and bond." A group of us from our Sunday afternoon class went to take part [...]
Good morning... Our brief group text led me to a gem of a story. "I like your blog about fear today, Sue," a dear friend wrote after yesterday's post, Don't Be Scared Of Tomorrow. "Me too," another friend chimed in. "Sean of the South was a tear jerker too." I love the work of Sean Dietrich, a writer [...]
Good morning... Waking in the middle of the night, I turn on a single lamp, strike a match and light a melting candle. As I let the dogs out briefly to do their thing, our thermostat reads "18," which is bitter cold for Atlanta. My heart turns to those who are homeless, in our city and other cities [...]
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 [...]
