Good morning... "Your life was like a river running home," sings the most moving line from Slater Nalley's original song, "Traces of You." This dynamic expression of endless love reminds me of the poem I just sent to my friend, a dear friend who buried her 23 year old son last month. "Good morning," I texted. "I think [...]
Good morning... Out loud, we read this poem. ***** For When People Ask by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer I want a word that means okay and not okay, a word that means devastated and stunned with joy. I want the word that says I feel it all all at once. The heart is not like a songbird singing only [...]
Good morning... After yesterday's post, Untangling Our Sadness, a friend wrote: "I can't remember if I sent this to you. Your post this morning made me think of this jar image. A friend sent it to me and it really spoke to me." People tend to believe that grief shrinks over time. What really happens is that we [...]
Good morning... Walking toward the excruciating pain of the cross, Jesus is described as "a man of sorrows and suffering, knowing sadness well" (Isaiah 53:3, NLV). How well do we each know our own sadness? In our therapeutic community group, we explored the experience of sadness, the different forms sad can take. Big sad. Small sad. Light sprinkling [...]
Good morning... We canceled class last month due to our southern snow, so yesterday was our first Sunday afternoon gathering of this new semester. How wonderful it was to share prayer concerns, unpack tangled thoughts, and glean nuggets of life-giving wisdom. Our book for this season is a treasured classic, Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Here [...]
Good morning... Following yesterday's post, Expect To Be Grateful, all day long people in our written word community sent me simple things sparking gratitude. Our pets and our people. Admiring nature and noticing beauty. Savoring daily things like coffee and food, sky and sun, brisk walks and safe travels. We're grateful for doctors and churches, dear friends sharing [...]
Good morning... As a retired english teacher, he said, "Every year, I would share with the kids my favorite Hemingway quote." The greatest act of courage is getting out of bed each morning. Right now, my prayers are with the courageous ones who are facing the difficulty of illness, Alzheimers, powerlessness. The courageous ones who are experiencing the [...]
Good morning... A short poem greets me in the middle of this full-bellied night. ****** One on Thanksgiving one hand opens in grief the other in gratitude pressing them together to pray —Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer ****** All across the globe, we open one hand in grief, missing those missing from our homes. Our other hand holds gratitude for [...]
Good morning... Yesterday morning, I happened upon a poem by Jan Richardson in her book The Cure for Sorrow. I was touched by Jan's wisdom and texted these words to a few close friends. Friends who are grieving the slow loss of a loved one with Alzheimers. Friends who have gracefully lived on while mourning the death of [...]
Good morning... When Elizabeth and her husband Graham received her colon cancer diagnosis, prayer was their first response. With honesty and faith she blogged about her cancer journey, inviting us to join their family in fervent prayer. At age thirty-nine, Elizabeth went to heaven this summer, and our prayers continue to surround this special family. Offering an update, [...]
