Good Morning... “The tucking in ceremony was so sad and so special,” my friend told me after a very significant family funeral. “What is a ‘tucking in’ ceremony?” I asked. She described for me her experience. After their loved one was cremated, following the funeral, the family members took turns digging a hole on a holy plot of land and, [...]
Good morning... Six months ago today, the spirit of our dear friend Julie returned to heaven from earth (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Sensing her way through the process of grief, Julie's mother recently shared with me this revealing YouTube video, a video which amplifies the whisper of God. “Speak to me, God,” we yell. “LORD, let me see you,” we beg. [...]
Good morning... “I know you lost a beloved tree to Irma,” she kindly wrote in her email. “I hope any other losses are minimal.” Our old, sturdy tree toppled in the high, drenching winds. I never thought of a fallen tree as a key loss until my fingers and my keyboard formed my tender response. “We did lose our [...]
Good morning... "Hoping high tide doesn't bring the river into our living room," a friend texted from Jacksonville, Florida as Hurricane Irma slammed her state. "Please pray that the water recedes and we don't see the predicted 4-6 foot surge. Thank you." I lifted prayers all day and was grateful for her final message. "Waters came up to the [...]
Good morning... She expressed concerned over crying so much. So I wrote to her my thoughts about the gift of tears. Grief is an unpredictable thing. "Crying so much lately" may feel like "going backward" instead of "making headway," but I think tears are a sign of the Holy Spirit deeply at work. Tears tenderize us and express overwhelming [...]
My recent post, "Run toward the roar," has created a lot of great dialogue, face to face and through email exchanges. One long time friend, who has lived through an immensely painful loss, wrote: "Hey Sue. Wow, this one is powerful and hits me deeply. As I think about it I don't see myself having run towards the roar [...]
A friend in my Tuesday group sent me a very challenging article, an article passed on to her by a friend, an article by Davey Blackburn from 4.18.16 entitled "Running Toward the Roar." Some of the most profound comments, I will share here, with a link to the entire article below. "Perhaps one of the most impactful books I’ve [...]
Good morning... Before leaving our final gathering of the semester, she gave me a tender hug, handed me a small paper bag, and softly said, "You came into my life at just the right time." Standing beside her, I pulled from the flat, brown bag one simple, organic-looking card bearing rudimentary typing. Our hearts nestled together, breathing in the [...]
Good morning... Now is about the time when those grieving the loss of our friend Julie are tempted to slip into deep despair. This situation will never change. She is never coming back to us. The high of celebrating her life has dropped down into the relentless ache of physically missing her. One friend who lost her brother way [...]
Good morning... The night before the memorial service, I had an intense dream. It was like I was traveling through an invisible, physical barrier between earth and heaven. I felt as if I was in one of those airplane movies where people hold on for dear life and their faces contort in unimaginable ways as they fight through strong, [...]
