Good morning... Yesterday afternoon, I spent quality time with a friend who grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She's been to Annunciation Catholic School where this week's school shooting took place. She described loving her hometown and the people with whom she grew up. One high school classmate, Mark Donicht, is now a published author who writes under the [...]
Good morning... As we near 2:00 am, I take outside our little dog Gracie and stand barefoot in the wet, cool grass. As I look up, thick clouds surround the waning moon. Stretched wide and thin, the white vapors open space, a breathing room for blue. Blue. Cloudy. Stretched wide and thin. These descriptors animate the text string [...]
Good morning... On June 17th, we put our dog Tate to sleep. Now, eight weeks into her absence from our home, our family is still really missing her soft presence. This weekend I happened upon an award winning short film, a touching film that made me smile, laugh, cry. [...]
Good morning... "This is from Ogunquit, Maine tonight," wrote a friend who lost her husband in May. "So gorgeous," I replied, before climbing into bed. "Full moon tonight. Hope you are enjoying Maine's unique beauty and the companionship of old friends." "Full moon is gorgeous here, too," I texted [...]
Good morning... Whenever I think of July 2025, two words will always come to mind. Grief and Galapagos. In June, the daughter of my dear friend, Audrey DeShetler, went to heaven the day before her twentieth birthday. Then, within the same week, our family put to sleep our beloved dog, Tate. Both Audrey and Tate battled cancer. Both [...]
Good morning... "Sue," she wrote. "Yesterday a local acquaintance posted this on Facebook and I shared it with another still reeling from a death. I found it a different kind of living with grief, and it gave me comfort, even though it's been years since my Mother died." ***** The Sacred Work of Grieving by Spirit of a [...]
Good morning... As my friend has been processing her extraordinary grief, she texted a sentence that touched my heart. "I just saw a quote," she wrote. "The pain is the leftover love you don't get to give." Fires, floods, feuds. Loss, lethargy, loneliness. Death, disasters, depression. Cancer, callousness, calamity. Betrayals, breakups, bombings. Accidents, addictions, Alzheimers. There are so [...]
Good morning... After her husband dies, 87 year old Diana composes a new dream. May He grant the dreams of your heart and see your plans through to the end (Psalm 20:4, VOICE). ...Sue...
Good morning... "I was just thinking,” yesterday I texted our Fab Five friend group, a group that has supported the cancer journey of the DeShetler family for the last fifteen years. “Jesus was on earth for 33 years, and, Jennifer, I wonder if our Father missed his son’s presence in heaven, like you are missing Audrey on earth.” [...]
Good morning... This week, I have communicated with so many of you about Audrey and the DeShelter family, through text, email, zoom, and face to face. Your messages of love have been so precious. I find it an honor to collect our written words in a single post. May you enjoy reading about the strong web of love [...]
