Good morning... "In Christ's name we play," my Freudian slip sparking an avalanche of joy. After crafting yesterday's post, The Magic of Play, I watched different forms of play emerge all day. I walked, instead of driving, to the home of a woman new to our Friday class roster, enjoying fresh coffee and conversation. I walk and talked [...]
Good morning... I was the last parent to leave our first gathering of our youngest child's final high school year. I felt compelled to "close down the bar," "stay for the last round," enjoying every conversation until the very last drop. I was in my car by 9:00 am, driving forward into this special year of "lasts." Returning [...]
Good morning... The following movie clip from the 2013 film About Time depicts the difference between plodding through a mundane day and developing the art of noticing joy along life's ordinary way. We can look down, hold back, feed tension, be annoyed, and this next twelve hours can add up to a very "tough day." Yet, there is [...]
Good morning... Stop rushing. Stop "shushing." Stop judging. Stop begrudging. Stop explaining. Stop complaining. Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops (Proverbs 26:20, NLT). Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm (Psalm 37:8, NLT). The start of an argument is like a water leak— so stop [...]
Good morning... Before J Schroeder died, he taught people how to live. Stepping up to the microphone at his memorial service, his deeply loved wife described J as "a force of nature," admitting "Everyone wanted to be in his orbit." Grateful for joy-filled years together, she said, "I am so glad he chose me." After sharing bonding stories, [...]
Good morning... As we savor this Sabbath, we slow down. We rest. We look back. We live now. We move forward with God. Encouraging phases have held us well this week. Remain screwed in. Stay plugged in. Unlearn a lot. As we revisit posts from this week, gratitude grows, as we catch our breath before living on. We [...]
Good morning... Around 5:45 pm last night, I snapped a picture of a friend's house as I drove by. "Passing your home," I stopped briefly to include the photo as I texted our group of five friends. "When might we get together next?" How could I have known my text would set off such an explosion of life? [...]
Good morning... Yesterday's morning message, My Change Of Heart, set off the largest avalanche of responses from one blog post, ever. Too large of a pile to sift through in one follow-up, we will examine a single pebble from our pile today. "I trust you know what God is doing," one subscriber wrote and many of you echoed. [...]
Good morning... Last night I enjoyed a very special dinner. I slid into my seat with a private tableful of women, three I knew mildly, four I had never met. These longtime friends asked me to join them as they discussed how to help their teenage daughters process a time of deep loss and great grief. Another family [...]
Good morning... "Oh Sue, I know what you mean!" one subscriber wrote to me after reading last week's posts, Welcome To Our Messy Home, Does My Mess Bless, Seasonal Insanity, and Dust If You Must. "I think any mom who has cherished the happy chaos of childhood gets it. Ok don’t laugh, but one of my favorite rainy day [...]
