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, [...]
Good morning... Last Thursday, Diana's spirit left earth for heaven, released from the cancer that filled her body. On Sunday, I sat in the church pew behind her daughter, hugged her, listened to her grief, bonded over her deep love for her mother. Later, we sang the Audrey Assad song below, I Shall Not Want. First thing on [...]
Good morning... She wrote me after yesterday's post, Abby's Anniversary. "Sue, I don’t personally know any of these people and I’m reading your message with tears running down my face. I can’t imagine facing what they face. Is there anything someone who doesn’t know them can do to support? Obviously I’ve been praying for all of them. But [...]
Good morning... Last week, she shared the tumultuous story of her own grief. "I think I shared this after my Dad passed away last year," she wrote. "It was two days after Dad had passed, and I was managing very difficult family dynamics with my siblings and a painful dementia diagnosis for my mom. I was exhausted and [...]
Good morning... Preparing to see Inside Out 2 in the theatre, I re-watched the original 2015 version of Inside Out. Inside Out tracks the inner workings of the mind of Riley, a young girl who struggles to adapt to her family's move, as five personified emotions guide her thoughts and her actions. One of my favorite parts of [...]
Good morning... "I shared this on Facebook on Wednesday," emailed a longtime friend. ****** For those facing loss today . . LOVE CAME FIRST "You don’t move on after loss, but you must move with. You must shake hands with grief, welcome her in, for she lives with you now. Pull her a chair at the table and [...]
Good morning... "Oh Sue," she wrote from Florida yesterday, "sending so many continued prayers for the loved ones of Elizabeth. So very heartbreaking. I just read Dr. Jim Denison, and the quote below struck a chord - we live a faith that says death is not the final answer, thank you Jesus. This truth is the hope and [...]
Good morning... I woke to the gift of a beautiful text yesterday. A friend in our Monday afternoon group shared the link to her daughter's telling of their family's grief journey. Listening to her vulnerable story was so life-giving to me, so I asked, "Might I share this link with others?" "Of course," she replied. "Our family has [...]
Good morning... In the middle of this droopy, drizzly night, I think back on the most meaningful two hours of this week. On Sunday night, Elizabeth, the 38-year-old daughter-in-law of our dear friend Joan, shared a really hard post, explaining that her colon cancer had spread. "Any chance you all can have lunch with Joan and I tomorrow?" [...]
Good morning... In the place where the full moon exists, I see only layers of clouds. Anticipating fullness of light, this night feels anticlimactic, a drooping disappointing. The soupy, grey sky mirrors our hearts as our hopes for a permanent solution, for lasting relief, for fullness of life feel clouded over. Prayers fall limp. High hopes feel dashed. [...]
