Good morning... The nineteen year old son of a family in our community did not wake up yesterday, the morning after he had routine surgery to remove his appendix. Having a nineteen year old ourselves, I can not imagine the excruciating pain of his parents. Our seventeen year old son goes to school with the grieving brother and [...]
Good morning... The aging parents of three close friends transitioned from earth to heaven this week. I shared a few intimate words: "I am praying for you and will continue praying." Both separate from and connected to, my heart kneels down to lift up my prayer: "In their darkest hours, give them each a friend with whom they [...]
Good morning... Media images expose California's charred devastation. Haunting. Horrifying. Heartbreaking. So much beauty and vibrant life reduced to soot, ashes, remains. The smoldering stench in the air must smell suffocating. Two men I love live in California. One a family member, the other a forever friend. One a Democrat, the other a Republican. One homosexual, the other [...]
Good morning... "Two weeks after our wedding in 1989, we lost our home in Hurricane Hugo," she softly shared with our Monday class. "As a whole community we were in shock, we bonded so deeply, we rallied together. God was so present, in amazing ways. Suffering together through Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD), we pushed through our fears to [...]
Good morning... So deeply loving her book Gift Of The Red Bird, I joined author Paula D'Arcy for a weekend at Ignatius House Retreat Center in August of 2015. Many who had loved boldly and lost abruptly came to be with this vibrant woman, a woman who was not only standing, breathing, and living on after the 1975 death [...]
Good morning... I read aloud to the classes in our living room two poignant pages from Paula D'Arcy's most well-known book, Gift of The Red Bird, two pages that describe one life altering day. Paula and her husband Roy were enjoying a simple life with their first toddling daughter Sarah when we pick up their story. ****** Gift [...]
Good morning... Yesterday, September 10th, was the first anniversary of a very significant loss. Loved ones leaned in, joined together, and shared love. Today, September 11th, is the seventeenth anniversary of another devastating loss. Our nation leans in, joins together, and resists hate. I am reminded of the life altering effects of 9/11/01 as I read these words written [...]
Good morning... Some losses are excruciating. Life seems to be running smoothly. Hopes and dreams are gelling. We are savoring a sense of settled satisfaction. Then WHAM! Life falls apart. Near perfection unravels. The daily drive keeping us alive ends abruptly, unexpectedly. How do we rise up from bed the morning after? How do we rise up to face [...]
Good morning... Having recently been through a life-changing loss she wrote: "Over the years I have collected matches from different places, playing cards, ski passes...all reminders of precious moments and places with my loved ones. And now, as I am going through so many things and having to/wanting to get rid, these collectibles have become painful reminders of a [...]
Good morning... This Memorial Day morn, I think of my grandparent's generation, a generation which was heavy laden with the effects of war. Just yesterday, I was reading one of my old journals entries dated August 27, 2005. Back then I wrote these words. "I'm drawn to the note attached to the quilt that covers the old oak rocker [...]
