Good morning... "Coping is something we do when we are overwhelmed," says the single note I took at our therapeutic community group at PAWkids yesterday. Instead of searching for the words in the puzzle above, I decided to search my heart, pondering the given list of helpful coping skills. Smile. Clean. Exercise. Walk. Water. Sing. Relax. Turtle. Laughing. [...]
Good morning... Opening the mail yesterday, I received a letter from my dad. As promised, he sent me a check from Ohio to support PAWkids, the non-profit ministry in inner city Atlanta with which I am actively involved. He sent a donation in honor of the three year old grandson of the Norwegian exchange student who stayed with [...]
Good morning... When our oldest son was a little boy, he used to search for the smallest grape in every cluster. This fun memory quietly returned when I met an Estonian proverb: “Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” Now please read with me a Biblical proverb, a proverb I have structured a bit [...]
Good morning... The complex matrix of needs in the life of children today are supported in tangible ways through the teachers within our classrooms. Teaching is often a thankless job, like changing diapers, preparing daily meals, and cleaning endless piles of dirty clothes. School is a second home for many and teachers are passionate pseudo parents to the [...]
Good morning... My father is 85-years-old today. Right now, at 3:40 am, I am gently unwrapping his first birthday gift. For the first time in weeks he is asleep in their familiar bed, hopefully receiving some much needed rest. I took his place on the couch nearby my mom who is sleeping in her recliner, continuing to recover [...]
Good morning... Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace (Colossians 3:15, NIV). I ponder this Scripture verse at the end of Henri Nouwen's morning message from yesterday. Now I am drawn back to our four word prayer. Here. Now. Accept. Allow. In my mind, "allow" [...]
Good morning... "I thought of you when I wrote yesterday's blog, A Fun Tale Of Two Brains," I texted our friend Dr. Cathy Snapp, co-author of The Hidden Life Awakened. Since she works in the blossoming field of neuroscience, I figured Cathy would have some wise answers to the questions expanding in my mind. "This comedian is really [...]
Good morning... I have never cut from the yard fresh greens and red berries to decorate a Christmas wreathe from scratch. At age 58, I savor this first. On Monday my dear friend invited me to come to her basement, and together we collaborated to create fresh, homemade beauty. What fun! [...]
Good morning... Along with sharing Henri Nouwen's words of wisdom, the Henri Nouwen Society has been counting down to this day: GivingTuesday. In researching the concept, I learn from Wikipedia that "GivingTuesday, often stylized as #GivingTuesday for the purposes of hashtag activism, is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is touted as a 'global generosity [...]
Good morning... Sometimes I reflect the love of God clearly, kindly, calmly. At other times, when life's residue piles up, I contaminate and clog. I open Biblegateway.com right now, and the "verse of the day" feels like God's answer to my daily dilemma. My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been [...]
