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|

Steve’s Sad Announcement

Good morning... As quiet ripples of moonlight rest on our bathroom floor, I snap a photo and prepare to write in the middle of this night. First, I open an email my husband and I had discussed yesterday. Reading Steve's words with my own eyes makes the many layers of loss feel much more real. "Dear Israel Trip [...]

By |2023-10-30T09:04:06-04:00October 30th, 2023|Grief, Sadness, Tragedy|

I Will Always Remember Jerry

Good morning... As my mind quietly shifts from asleep to awake, I take one huge breath and immediately think of my friend Anne. Today the Landers' family will reverently lay Jerry's body to final rest, but, joy of joys, Jerry's robust spirit has already returned to our God, carried in the arms of his best friend Jesus. I [...]

By |2023-10-19T08:27:23-04:00October 19th, 2023|Death And Resurrection, Family and Friends, Gratitude, Grief|

Listening To Grief Together

Good morning... Sitting in silence with God and each other, we "come to rest" at a deeper, wider place within our soul. Prayerfully living from our innermost self, we are invited to gather around a common table. One of my favorite poets pulls up a chair and helps us to grieve deep losses together. ****** Only a Few [...]

By |2023-10-12T09:39:52-04:00October 12th, 2023|Discernment, Grief, Listen|

Jerry Landers Went To Jesus

Good morning... Gathering around the kitchen island as one dear friend prepared a birthday dinner for another dear friend, we were discussing how important Jerry and Anne Landers have been to our church family, for years and years and years. Teaching Sunday school. Leading Bible studies. Facilitating worship experiences. Instigating healing prayer. Volunteering on committee after committee. Sharing [...]

By |2023-10-09T04:22:16-04:00October 9th, 2023|Death And Resurrection, Gratitude, Grief|
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