We Long For Light In Our Darkness

Good morning... When I wake around 1:00 am, I notice stripes of light resting on our bathroom floor and tub. With natural light silently breaking through the shutters of a nearby window, I think to myself, "The moon must be filling up with light." Our little dog Gracie takes me out often in the middle of the night [...]

By |2024-01-22T08:06:58-05:00January 22nd, 2024|Grief, Light In Darkness, Trust God|

Grief Happens. Mourning Is A Choice.

Good morning... Up in the middle of the night, I prepare to facilitate a four-week study of Ron Greer's new book, The Quiet House. Reading slowly, I savor Ron's first six reflections on the loss of a spouse. Real. Gentle. Nurturing and authentic. Enjoying each word, I sense God's presence. I have often said, "If God had a [...]

By |2024-01-20T08:02:59-05:00January 20th, 2024|Grief, Healing, Trust God|

Grieving The Loss Of Scott

Good morning... We wake on the day that Scott's body will be laid to rest. As his obituary so beautifully reveals, he loved so very well. His amazing wife, his two young kids, his extended family, his many friends, his church, his work, Scott loved so very, very well. Basking in the sunshine streaming into our church, I [...]

By |2024-01-18T08:53:35-05:00January 18th, 2024|Death And Resurrection, Family and Friends, Grief|

Gonna Be Alright

Good morning... "Someone sent me this yesterday morning," she texted. "Loved listening to it on my way to chemo." I hope many of us will love listening to this song on our way through fear, through pain, through deep, life-changing loss. And now, dear friends, may the Lord of peace Himself grace you with peace always and in [...]

By |2024-01-13T01:40:30-05:00January 13th, 2024|Fear, Grief, Peace, Trust God|

Grief Is Like Making Soup

Good morning... On my way to church to work the second shift of worship services on Christmas Eve, I enjoyed dropping off a container of homemade soup for a feverish friend who was home sick with COVID. I love making and sharing soup regularly. The thick, rich smells. The warm wafting comfort. This week's one-of-a-kind concoction included boiled [...]

By |2023-12-27T02:42:49-05:00December 27th, 2023|Family and Friends, Grief, Healing|

A Friend Did Not Come Home

Good morning... My endless circle of prayer has another twisted link in it. This morning I deeply pray for a family I do not know. On Thanksgiving morning, our youngest son, Jeremiah, came home after spending a celebratory night at a friend's house. This family's son celebrated similarly, but their son did not come home. He ended up [...]

By |2023-12-01T07:46:22-05:00November 24th, 2023|Family and Friends, Grief, Tragedy|

Joy Invades Grief

Good morning... "What do joy and grief have in common?" asks poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. "...The ability to evoke feeling that pushes us and opens us and helps us to be compassionate and helps us fall in love." In the 10-minute video below, released yesterday for this holiday season, Rosemerry reads poems that span grief and joy from [...]

By |2023-11-22T09:15:39-05:00November 22nd, 2023|Everyday life, Grief, Joy, Trust God|

Include All Who Grieve

Good morning... "Do you realize that sometimes your words (actually God’s) speak in ways so far beyond the original intent?" she emailed me after yesterday's post, The Doorway To Hope. "I’m so sorry you’ve shouldered so many deaths to those close to you lately, but I am grateful your messages are of purpose and hope and peace for [...]

By |2023-11-03T04:00:39-04:00November 3rd, 2023|Gratitude, Grief, Trust God|

The Doorway To Hope

Good morning... A quiet poem greeted me yesterday, a poem named Praying by Mary Oliver. ****** It doesn't have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate, this isn't a contest but [...]

By |2023-11-02T05:42:43-04:00November 1st, 2023|Everyday life, Grief, Light In Darkness|

Creativity Flows In Our Grief

Good morning... As I wake in the dark of this night, I notice three unique things. The heat has kicked on, as temperatures drop. The wind chimes are going wild, as the breeze picks up. And my mind is flooded with prayers for my friend, as she prepares to lay her husband to final rest today. Then I [...]

By |2023-11-01T08:37:04-04:00November 1st, 2023|Death And Resurrection, God's Love, Grief|
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