Good morning... "We travelled through dark moments together," writes Katherine May on page 120 of Wintering. "I won't pretend it was fun. But it was necessary all the same. We raged and grieved together. We were overcome with fear. We worried and slept it off, and didn't sleep, and let our timetables turn upside down. We didn't so [...]
Good morning... When I woke for the second time to take out our puppy, I noticed this wisdom gracing my phone. Texted by a friend at 3:19 am, these words resonated deeply. ****** You can grieve the what-would-have-beens and still thank Him for what is. You can miss someone deeply and still trust He's creating beauty from brokenness. [...]
Good morning... Last Monday morning, the room was abuzz with the voices of about fifty to sixty women. Catching up. Sharing stories. Starting a new school year. I felt honored to be the kick-off speaker for the Lovett Moms in Prayer group, an annual commitment I enjoy every fall. Each year, I prayerfully consider what I feel led [...]
Good morning... I open my journal to read what I wrote as I took a long bath yesterday. ****** Our precious dog Tate has been battling inoperable cancer. For several weeks her eyes have adopted Audrey DeShetler's motto for living, "Just one more day. Give me just one more day." Until today. Today her eyes are saying something [...]
Good morning... Our dog Tate came to us from Adopt-a-Golden at eight weeks old. That was nine years ago this month. At the time, our youngest son had just gotten his driver's permit, our youngest daughter was finishing her junior year in high school, and our oldest two were in college, one finishing her freshman year at Ole [...]
Good morning... Out loud, we read this poem. ***** For When People Ask by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer I want a word that means okay and not okay, a word that means devastated and stunned with joy. I want the word that says I feel it all all at once. The heart is not like a songbird singing only [...]
Good morning... "Dear Sue," a loyal friend wrote yesterday. "You have been in my heart lately; with prayers for your Mom (and Dad) and for you as you stretch your own heart full circle. Today’s post from you with that wonderful jar image, and today’s message from Bishop Wright work together beautifully to illustrate the stark reality of [...]
Good morning... After yesterday's post, Untangling Our Sadness, a friend wrote: "I can't remember if I sent this to you. Your post this morning made me think of this jar image. A friend sent it to me and it really spoke to me." People tend to believe that grief shrinks over time. What really happens is that we [...]
Good morning... Walking toward the excruciating pain of the cross, Jesus is described as "a man of sorrows and suffering, knowing sadness well" (Isaiah 53:3, NLV). How well do we each know our own sadness? In our therapeutic community group, we explored the experience of sadness, the different forms sad can take. Big sad. Small sad. Light sprinkling [...]
Good morning... For nearly fifteen years, the members of Northside Church have been praying diligently for Audrey DeShetler, Sunday after Sunday. We have closely tracked her journey with a childhood cancer called neuroblastoma. Diagnosed at age five, Audrey has pushed through treatment after treatment, relapse after relapse, until now Audrey is a wise nineteen years old young woman. [...]
