Good morning... In a recent post, I sheepishly admitted "I am not drawn to connect through Zoom." As it turns out, I am not alone. "I am SO thankful that you have not zoomed our classes, as I would have felt compelled to “not miss out," one subscriber wrote. "THANK YOU for allowing us to have some perhaps-at-times-uncomfortable [...]
Good morning... To end our Zoom gathering, he gently read to us a poem, a poem I had never met. ****** The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may [...]
Good morning... "Hi, Sue," she responds. "You ask what creative gifts give us strength during this season of sequestering." Artist, photographer, and dear, dear friend Corinne Adams shares with me her intriguing art while we are held apart: "I have discovered my own Walden’s pond in the woods next door. The “pond,” an abandoned swimming pool filled with [...]
Good morning... A friend sent me this poem written by a woman I probably will not meet until our souls see each other in heaven. ****** Pandemic What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath— the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on [...]
Good morning... As I have invested hours upon hours creating a companion journal for our upcoming "Awake To Wholeness" Women's Retreat, I ran across these very life-giving words: "Only those who have confronted their pride and come to humility fully experience harmony in relationship with God, with others, and with self," says ninety-four year old Christian mystic Betty Skinner. [...]
Good morning... "Hi Sue," she wrote after yesterday's widely viewed post. "What I really love about today’s post is that this unknown Alabama resident was mentally/physically wrestling with anxiety while you were at the wrestling duels! My son wrestles too and I was in Macon that weekend as well." She explained: "Think about how hard these athletes work for [...]
Good morning... "Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs," says Proverbs 18:4 in The Message translation. "The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream," says Proverbs 18:4 in the New International Version. "The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters [copious [...]
Good morning... "One day in the country is worth a month in the city," whispers the rustic plaque hanging on the farm house wall. Why might this be? When I think of "country," natural words cascade from my mind to water my heart. Unplug. Fresh air. Big sky. Down-to-earth. A slower pace in wide open space. Within me [...]
Good morning... After being shaped by the diligent joy of writing to you each morning, I often go back into our blog post and edit as the Spirit moves. Yesterday that happened. Making our message more concise and most life-giving, I re-wrote our final sentence to read: "As we stay right in the center of God's endless love, [...]
Good morning... Fears. Finances. Future plans. What worries wake you in the tiny hours of the morning? Hopes. Have-to's. Hard decisions. Anxieties arouse us, stirring us from sleep. Regrets. Repeat obsessions. Relationship tensions. As our mind reels, our conflicted heart feels. That is why this quote recently sent to me by a friend touches a tricky truth. Personally, [...]
