Good morning... As I read these words aloud to our class yesterday, I wished I could whisper them into the ear of the reader struggling with a sense of uselessness, the many strangers who have lost everything in fire or flood, and my sleepless loved ones worrying, "Has our daughter's cancer returned?" "What authentic work is mine to [...]
Good morning... I crossed my legs and closed my eyes as she privately read aloud to me an excerpt from Nan Merrill's paraphrase of Psalm 106. ****** May we become bearers of joy, we who are invited to share in the Cosmic Dance! We pray for the gift of wisdom, that the motivations of our heart might be [...]
Good morning... I woke to her email, short and deep. I wrote her right back, deep and long. Somehow God ministered to both of us as we unpacked our pain. Sharing just my private response, I invite you into our intimate expression. ****** Personal Email from Sue Allen - August 30th, 2019 Another suicide? Yes, it is completely [...]
Good morning... "Sue, Thank you for your post this morning," she wrote after yesterday's message Flip On The Light. "Watching the movie clip made me smile and cry, which surprised me. I think it is a lot of things wrapped into one." She went on to explain, "One of the greatest compliments that I have received, since our 7-year-old [...]
Good morning... "Hi Sue," one of you wrote earlier in the week, after watching the video of Michaelanglo's statue, the Pieta. "The words of healing and strength from you and others is always needed and much appreciated. I hesitated to share my Pieta experience since it doesn’t reflect deep sorrow or grief, but it shares a small taste [...]
Good morning... It was Saturday, July 6th, the first morning of our family's vacation at my mother-in-law's log cabin on a tiny lake in Pennsylvania. I was leisurely floating on an intertube, chatting with my sister-in-law, when my husband Steve and my son Kyler called me over with these words, "Hey mom. Come here for a second. There [...]
Good morning... Artists over the years have depicted differently the lifesaving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Replaying in my mind is the intimate video of the statue Pieta shared in yesterday's post, Savor Sabbath: From Pain To Peace. Michelango deeply depicts not only Jesus' full-bodied surrender, but the suffering sacrifice of his mother, Mary. After viewing this video yesterday, one [...]
Good morning... Receiving this sympathy email from the church, our community's loss is formally announced. Sympathy Northside Church extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Cole McAfee Hagood, who passed away on Saturday, July 6, 2019. Memorial Service The Memorial Service will be at Northside Church in the Sanctuary on Friday, July 12, 2019 at 2:00 [...]
Good morning... "Good morning Sue," a subscriber wrote from miles away. "I’m so, so sorry for the weight of grief and sadness you must carry - I thought of a quote I read just last week that was posted by Sarah Williams, a mother grieving the loss of her toddler: 'I have loved the stars too fondly to [...]
Good morning... Yesterday morning, tragedy cut short the life of another young man, a young man for whom I love to serve homemade Stromboli. Now, huddled together, we nestle into the nurturing nest God has built for our online community. How do we respond to this special kind of grief, processing the life-changing loss of family and friends [...]
