Good morning... Grieving great loss, she slowly read aloud to me the Scripture sustaining her. "When I think of all this," she said softly, "I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength [...]
Good morning... After watching footage of the massive explosion rocking Lebanon's capital city of Beirut this week, I turned on the news to see the touching story below. Titling her homemade video Beauty From Ashes, a granddaughter filmed her grandmother playing “Auld Lang Syne” on the piano amid wreckage from the blast. The familiar song, based on a 1788 [...]
Good morning... When I woke yesterday, I re-read our life-giving post, To My Surprise. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed the photos of the beach, the rainbow, and the nest of baby cardinals being protected and nourished by their father. A few minutes later, I checked out the headline news on my phone, and I was heartbroken by the July [...]
Good morning... "I thoroughly enjoyed last week's post about the power of perspective," one subscriber wrote. "It resonated with me and my family history. My parents were born in the United States but my grandparents were born in Japan. My grandparents immigrated to the United States when they were teenagers looking for a better life. My parents lived in [...]
Good morning... "As we head into the Memorial Day weekend, let us reflect on the tremendous price that was paid by the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country," says the post accompanying this tender YouTube video paying tribute. "Through the sounding of Taps, members of The United States Air Force Band [...]
Good morning... Originally, this weekend was to host graduation festivities for high schoolers in our neck of the world's woods. Our youngest son would have been one of the many celebrating this long-anticipated rite of passage, capping years of hard work in the classroom, unforgettable moments on the sports field, and life-giving hours on a performance stage. No [...]
Good morning... Her mom was a beloved teacher at the elementary school. Bright. Sunny. A breath of joy. She, I remember, was a vibrant young woman when her mother died, a loving daughter who was schooled daily by one of the best lovers of life ever to walk this earth. "To all the daughters who’ve lost their mothers," [...]
Good morning... Together we are learning about Ring Theory, concentric circles of support expanding out from each individual (see yesterday's blog post Our Words Matter). During this Covid-19 crisis, we recognize the importance of sending "comfort in" to the front line workers, those in danger, those grieving, and we work our own "grief out" with people in our [...]
Good morning... "I read this article and found it really helpful," she texted, "not just for how to handle people on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis but for any one in danger or in grief. The final message at the end of the article reminded me of something lovely you would say. I don't know if [...]
Good morning... Settling in to do Saturday yard work, I discovered the sign above. It magically appeared in our yard overnight, delivered personally, planted by hand, with all good intentions. But, surprisingly, this kind gesture made me sad. Really sad. Like any strong feeling, I took time to process, "God, why does this symbol of academic achievement step [...]
