Good morning... Yesterday afternoon, I spent quality time with a friend who grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She's been to Annunciation Catholic School where this week's school shooting took place. She described loving her hometown and the people with whom she grew up. One high school classmate, Mark Donicht, is now a published author who writes under the [...]
DeeplGood morning... "Joy and sorrow will always be linked," writes author Kay Warren. "And in the strange paradox of the universe, at the exact moment you and I are experiencing pain, we are also aware of the sweetness of loving and the beauty still to be found." I reread those words from yesterday's post, and I noticed the [...]
Good morning... Yesterday morning I blogged about A Dog And My Dad. Then in the afternoon, I opened the brown cardboard package that arrived on our doorstep. A loving book, pictured above, greeted me with aging-dog eyes. Awww. A golden retriever, so much like our deeply-missed Tate. No card. Kind gift. No name. God, who is this from? [...]
Good morning... As we near 2:00 am, I take outside our little dog Gracie and stand barefoot in the wet, cool grass. As I look up, thick clouds surround the waning moon. Stretched wide and thin, the white vapors open space, a breathing room for blue. Blue. Cloudy. Stretched wide and thin. These descriptors animate the text string [...]
Good morning... On June 17th, we put our dog Tate to sleep. Now, eight weeks into her absence from our home, our family is still really missing her soft presence. This weekend I happened upon an award winning short film, a touching film that made me smile, laugh, cry. [...]
Good morning... The Westminster Class of 2024 hosted a gathering to honor the memory of Audrey DeShetler on Wednesday, August 6th, celebrating her impact on their class and our community far and wide. The next day, I texted with Audrey's mom. Me: How was the gathering, Jennifer? Jennifer: I literally started crying before the service even started. I [...]
Good morning... “What kills a soul?" asks Shauna Niequist author of Present Over Perfect. She answers herself: "Exhaustion, secret-keeping, image management." "And what brings a soul back from the dead?" she wonders. "Honesty, connection, grace.” For me, what will it be? Exhaustion. Secret-keeping. Image management. Honesty. Connection. Grace. As I notice where my heart is drawn, I focus [...]
Good morning... Amid the chaos of this world, we are invited to experience the calm of God. Those who know Love will rejoice as the nations learn to cooperate, as the peoples of the earth recover their true heritage. The people say, "The time has come to dwell in peace and [...]
Good morning... On Saturday, July 5th, out of the blue, I received this special card in honor of Audrey DeShetler. Audrey went to heaven on Sunday, June 8th, ten hours before her twentieth birthday. Not being catholic, I was not sure what it meant to hold a Mass for a loved one who has passed. So I wrote [...]
Good morning... Thanks to all of you who have voted daily since August 1st to support the important work of PAWkids in our Atlanta community. Yesterday, I received this awesome announcement. How exciting! In our world, there seems to be a growing gap between "the haves", "the have nots" and "the [...]
