Good morning... Because I did not grow up catholic and I have never wrestled competitively like my husband and our sons, I have never fasted. Until yesterday. A few weeks back, I happened upon these words in the book we are reading for our Spiritual Direction training program. Saint Ignatius of Loyola "spoke not of extended fasts but rather [...]
Good morning... She read aloud her favorite quote from this week's chapter, "...as people journeying in faith, we have committed ourselves, deep in our hearts, to trust that whatever the future holds, it will always unfold in ways that ultimately, though perhaps not immediately or visibly, lead to more and more fullness of life, for each and for all." [...]
Good morning... As I was texting back and forth with a close friend recently diagnosed with cancer, the words from an old hymn came bubbling up, "Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey." We were both drawn to the simplicity of focus. Be happy in Jesus. Trust. [...]
Good morning... "I guess I view Lent as a season of shaking," I said as I stepped to the microphone to end our Women's Lenten Communion Service. I explained that one of my favorite Christmas traditions is cutting down a fresh Virginia pine from a nearby tree farm. We go together as a family, circling around and around to [...]
Good morning... "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in," says Hebrews 12:2 in the Message translation. "Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, [...]
Good morning... As we got together for lunch and caught up on each others' lives, one friend said, "Sue, you look really tired." Part of me felt a bit offended, "Do I really look that bad?" Then the rest of me began to unload. I told my friends I am exhausted from pushing to finish another graduate school paper, [...]
Good morning... A small portion of my dream focused on a beige colored guinea pig surrounded by cozy pillows. Near the padded headboard of a spacious king sized bed, this cute, cuddly creature was comfortably resting. At peace, totally dependent on her Caregiver, this unique being was lavished with everlasting love. Rest. Depend. Receive lavish love. A guinea pig's [...]
Good morning... Recently I was re-introduced to a prayer I love. Patient Trust Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it [...]
Good morning... A mutation is a a sudden departure from the parent type, the act or process of changing, an alteration in form or nature. A variation or evolution. A modification or transformation. Grief forces a sudden departure from the "parent type" of our old, cohesive normal. The messy process of change rudely interrupts our routine agenda. Our very [...]
Good morning... Our friends plan fun, memorable birthday parties, so we were excited to be invited to their home to be taught by a sushi chef. Making our own sushi for dinner was a fascinating way to celebrate a fifty-something birthday season. Our handmade creations were imperfectly delicious. Roll by roll, bite by bite, laughter was sparked and our [...]
