Good morning... I am taking my time dismantling December this year. I ponder meaningful memories as I quietly pack up our decorations. From December 2021, I am savoring many firsts. I cherish the photos from a gathering in Ohio with twenty-two of our extended family members the weekend before Thanksgiving (the first time we were all together since [...]
Good morning... My new favorite tree ornament is a transparent two inch square holding a tiny ice skater. Handmade by our wildly creative friend Corinne Adams, this symbol sums up my Advent season thus far, gliding along almost effortlessly, empowered by the Spirit of God with us. Yet today is Monday and by the time we skate through [...]
Good morning... I love unique days when I get to experience both the sunrise and the sunset. The sunset on the Saturday night of our Advent women's retreat was absolutely spectacular, so I went to bed so excited to see the sun gloriously rise on Sunday morning. As usual, I woke early without an alarm and walked up [...]
Good morning... When my inside self feels topsy-turvy, off-balance, cockeyed, truth finally dawns: "I have elbowed God out of the way." I have stopped diligently anchoring myself in Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, forever. I have started tipping toward my own selfish whims. I hate this topsy-turvy, off-balance feeling, this experience of spinning cockeyed. It's hard [...]
Good morning... While on our women's retreat the first weekend of December, I met a small, sweet book. The Art Of Pausing: Meditations for the Overworked and Overwhelmed. In a simple, inviting pattern the authors offer poems, photographs and short reflections on the names of God, the character of our Creator from whom all blessings flow. When life [...]
Good morning... I have never cut from the yard fresh greens and red berries to decorate a Christmas wreathe from scratch. At age 58, I savor this first. On Monday my dear friend invited me to come to her basement, and together we collaborated to create fresh, homemade beauty. What fun! [...]
Good morning... Adrift. She shares her truth. In so many important ways, my soul friend feels adrift. She has moved away from what has long been her church home. She has lost trust in a minister with whom she shares a deep, rich history. She feels kicked out of her extended family, a pain intensifying as the holidays [...]
Good morning... "Dear Sue, I hope you are doing well," she emailed after yesterday's post, The Blessing Hidden In Grief. "I miss our walks but returning to my position at school fills my days. My students are wonderful. Teaching them fills my heart with joy, and I’m so grateful for this bridge to whatever comes next in my [...]
Good morning... "Every time our ordinary life bumps up against an unavoidable loss, there are choices to be made," concluded our blog post yesterday morning, Our Passage To New Life. "Will we allow the loss we are currently facing to be a passage to something new, something wider, something deeper? Like the Israelites following God's lead out of [...]
Good morning... I chuckle to myself as I read Henri Nouwen's meditation for today. Was the eternal presence of Henri eavesdropping in the chapel at our Awake To Wholeness Women's Retreat with the eternal presence of Betty Skinner on Saturday? Henri's words for today sum up exactly what God was teaching us on our sacred day of retreat. [...]
