Good morning... One thing that has lifted my spirits this year is the act of spring cleaning. My friend Elizabeth has begun a small decluttering business, and she used me as her guinea pig. Here is what she wrote up about our hands-on experience. ****** Most of us slowly grow blind to our clutter. We walk around it—or [...]
Good morning... "When a child is born, so is a grandmother," wrote a longtime friend when our first grandson arrived. I was thinking about this statement when I opened the following email. A regular reader wrote these touching words after our blog Nothing Like A Newborn. She gave me her permission to share her story with you. "Beautiful [...]
Good morning... "I have been wanting to respond," she emailed me from South Carolina after yesterday's post, Nuclear Bomb Of Depression. "And this morning everything bubbled up. However there are too many things, so I’ll list." Can someone really know good if they have not experienced REAL pain and hardship? - Anne Frank I just returned from Japan [...]
Good morning... During our final spiritual growth group of the semester, we opened our sacred time together by reading aloud the prayer of St. Francis. One woman was drawn to the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, "What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what [...]
Good morning... "Love this as a reminder from all our conversations," she texted yesterday, sharing the simple chart above. When we feel rushed, pushed, frightened, confused, worried, obsessed, or condemned, it is wise to remember, "This is not the voice of God." Instead, God's voice stills us, leads us, reassures us, enlightens us, encourages us, comforts us, and [...]
Good morning... She wrote me a simple email yesterday: "iAmSon's 'Slow Down' song came to mind again, today, after your post. Enjoy!" I had never heard the song before, so searched for it on YouTube. It's quirky, with a choppy, methodic rhythm, the rhythm of bare feet slowly walking. I thoroughly enjoyed the lyrics and the music video, [...]
Good morning... Christmas Eve offers magical moments. When and where might you worship? I invite you to join us at Northside Church, with FIVE worship opportunities on Christmas Eve. The Nativity Animals will join us outside from 9:30AM to 4:30PM. Wednesday, December 24 10:00AM | Family Service in the Sanctuary* 12:00PM | Family Service in the Sanctuary 2:00PM [...]
Good morning... This week we received handwritten envelops, one for Steve and me as well as one addressed personally to each of our four kids and our daughter-in-law. At ages 88 and 87, my parents are still sending out Christmas cards. Pretty amazing, right? I took this photo as I visited with them in Ohio earlier this month. [...]
Good morning... On Sunday afternoon, I picked up our new golden retriever puppy, and brought her home to meet our family. My husband Steve is walking the Camino in Spain, (and the Camino was the first trip we shared as a couple as he started his new job leading adult trips), so we have decided to name our [...]
Good morning... I was touched by a reading of this moving poem. ******* THIS BITTER EARTH by Clyde Otis This bitter earth Well, what a fruit it bears What good is love Mmm, that no one shares And if my life is like the dust Ooh, that hides the glow of a rose But what good am I [...]
