Good morning... Our home is filled with artwork created by people I know and love. Margo Boden. Our children. Steve Penley. Gina MacFarland. Sally Mitchell. The one artist who graces our home most often with her beautiful creations is painter, photographer, and philantropist Corrine Adams. One-of-a-kind photographs. Funky seed creations. Transparent bottles filled with cool sayings. Unique jewelry, [...]
Good morning... "Though I have forwarded your blog to my family members more times than I can count, and though I have silently responded to you in my brain just as many times, I have never sent an actual response." She admitted, "It’s intimidating to put down thoughts, but I’m responding to the post of Monday. Because of [...]
Good morning... "I wanted to share this lovely article I just received on dolce far niente ... the sweet art of doing nothing," she texted after reading our recent message, The Magic Of Play. "It fits so well with your blog post this morning, Sue." Again, God's perfect timing multiples our joy. ****** Excerpts from The Importance of Doing Nothing: [...]
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? [...]
