Good morning... "Sarah Patterson French of Atlanta, Georgia was a devoted mother, dependable friend, and loving wife," begins her obituary. Surrounded by her family who loved her dearly, she passed away on October 23, 2022, at the age of 50, following a short but valiant fight against cancer." "Sarah's primary and most loved role was mother to her [...]
Good morning... At 4:18 am she emailed me after reading our post Grief Strips Us Naked. "Sue," she wrote. "These are wonderful passages spoken by those whose grief walked them to new understanding. In a few hours, at dawn‘s break, we will say goodbye to our brown eyed girl, our 13 year old lab. As a part of [...]
Good morning... On Friday night I enjoyed quality time with a friend whose husband died eight weeks ago, then on Saturday morning I walked and talked with a friend whose husband died about eight years ago. Between these two soul-filling conversations, I crafted our early morning message When Our Nest Feels Empty. Our message concluded, "As we tenderly [...]
Good morning... It was not a normal Wednesday afternoon. We moved our arts and crafts activities into the portable classroom so the PAWkids staff could set up for the special gathering outside. We learned all about last week's Homecoming dance. We helped kids make Halloween bracelets with a pumpkin charm. We allowed each child to create their own [...]
Good morning... "Gift from the Sea is a book by Anne Morrow Lindbergh first published in 1955," explains Wikipedia. "While on vacation on Florida's Captiva Island in the early 1950s, Lindbergh wrote the essay-style work by taking shells on the beach for inspiration and reflecting on the lives of Americans, particularly American women, in the mid-20th century. She [...]
Good morning... I texted her yesterday, "Kate Bowler's blessing is deeply yours today." ****** A blessing for when you're different now by Kate Bowler Blessed are you, dear one, when the world around you has changed. Everything is different now, your body, your age, your relationships, your job, your faith. The things that once brought you joy. The [...]
Good morning... Her son, Finn, was born on 9/11/04, three years after so many innocent people lost their lives on one horrible day. Finn himself died on 8/14/21, taking his own life. Sharing a poem yesterday, on would have been Finn's 18th birthday, this grieving mom embodies the art of being with someone who is gone. ****** A [...]
Good morning... We email one another often as she processes her profound grief. Our back and forth exchanges are life-giving, exposing God's healing edge. This week she shared a Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote from his Letters and Papers from Prison. "Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love," writes Bonhoeffer, "and it would be wrong [...]
Good morning... During this tumultuous time when so many flags are flying at half staff, we set aside a day to remember those who have sacrificed their lives to defend the freedom we cherish. Men and women. Young and old. People with varying skin color, economic status, family history. The impact of war ripples out to reshape us. [...]
Good morning... Deeply moved... He went into his private room and wept there (Genesis 43:30, NIV). When we are deeply moved, might we also give ourselves the gift of private tears? You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one [...]
