Good morning... My friend and her family took their cancer-filled dog to the vet, 'putting her down' so they say. "It was peaceful and quiet," she texted soon after. "She just went to sleep. Thank you, Sue. Your comfort helped me prepare for those steps." Connecting soul to soul in the midst of our daily lives, we experience God's quiet, [...]
Good morning... “Linger” has always been one of my favorite words. Inviting and multifaceted, to linger means to remain in a place longer than expected. To pass time, waiting, in a leisurely way. To persist, although gradually dying, ceasing, disappearing. To stroll, shuffle, stick around. To tarry, trudge, traipse. To dwell, dawdle, dillydally. Linger is slow not fast. Linger [...]
Good morning... Now is about the time when those grieving the loss of our friend Julie are tempted to slip into deep despair. This situation will never change. She is never coming back to us. The high of celebrating her life has dropped down into the relentless ache of physically missing her. One friend who lost her brother way [...]
Good morning... "Mom, why are you completely naked?" my seventeen year old daughter's voice shocked me into laughter. I had forgotten she was upstairs in bed, gifted with a free period before her day of school. While warm bath water was being drawn, I was lollygagging in the living room in my first birthday suit. Oh, how we surprised [...]
Good morning... A friend coined a new phrase for me yesterday, an important phrase for all of us to consider. As my cell phone rang, I saw her name pop up. I picked up immediately, no thought, just response. Her familiar, sweet voice was upset, unsettled. "Do you have a quick minute for an emergency?" "I have a long [...]
Good morning… I received many encouraging emails hoping for a meaningful, memorable meal after yesterday's post, 'Our 6:00 am birthday party.' Truthfully, our family's early morning celebration was a complete dud. Annoyed, sleeping siblings hugged a halfhearted "Happy birthday," before climbing back into bed for an extra hour of sleep. No pancakes were eaten. Most of the eggs were [...]
Good morning... Last week at our final Monthly Listening Group of the semester, we read aloud the Martha and Mary story (Luke 10:38-42). Since Wednesday morning, the story has continued to percolate in me. The first time through the sacred reading, we looked at the story through the eyes of Martha. As I continue to personalize her experience, I [...]
Good morning... I wake today feeling discombobulated. I slept until nearly 6:00 am so this post may not make our shared-coffee ritual. I just woke from a dream I wish I could unpack immediately. Rain again means dog paws have left dirty patterns on our wood floor, ugh. I must tidy up before the cleaners arrive. I fear yesterday's [...]
Good morning... The timing was symbolically perfect. Wednesday, November 30th: Eerie skies. Blustery winds. Atlanta's tornado warnings uprooted 'normal'. Thursday, December 1st: As wild weather died down, the Christmas season sped up. Parties and performances. Shopping and shipping. Friends, family, favorite foods. More. More. More. Autumn's 'normal' uprooted. As darkness descended on a crazy day, I drove into the [...]
Good morning... I will always remember one phrase shared in our young moms' class this semester: "I would rather be late than be yelling." I ponder the roots beneath the fruits of this statement. The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. Chronos refers to clock time, time that can be measured in seconds and minutes, [...]
