Good morning... "The awareness of my condition moved through me like a wind," writes Sue Monk Kidd on page 128 of God's Joyful Surprise. 'God, I know that You are here even now with Your love,' I prayed silently. 'I have been absent, unaware, sleepwalking through Your glorious presence. Please, God, help me learn to be present to [...]
Good morning... I was touched by a reading of this moving poem. ******* THIS BITTER EARTH by Clyde Otis This bitter earth Well, what a fruit it bears What good is love Mmm, that no one shares And if my life is like the dust Ooh, that hides the glow of a rose But what good am I [...]
Good morning... My parents wake in Ohio awaiting Thursday's doctor visit, hoping for positive scan results and a clear treatment plan for my dad's prostate cancer. The DeShetler family and college friends wake at Notre Dame following last night's moving mass which honored the eternal life of Audrey. This morning, fifteen women recovering from homelessness and addiction wake [...]
Good morning... Overwhelmed by heavy emotions, she said, "I don't know whether to keep things to myself (which usually leads to me eventually blowing up) or to talk out my feelings, telling my husband exactly how I feel (which often hurts his feelings)." After pondering her difficult dilemma, I said, "I wonder if there is a third choice. [...]
Good morning... On Saturday, July 5th, out of the blue, I received this special card in honor of Audrey DeShetler. Audrey went to heaven on Sunday, June 8th, ten hours before her twentieth birthday. Not being catholic, I was not sure what it meant to hold a Mass for a loved one who has passed. So I wrote [...]
Good morning... "Thinking about you and holding you and Tate in my heart," wrote my friend on one random morning. "I bet she is playing with my Watson. I love you." What a sweet reminder. We talk about our loved ones in heaven all the time. And they somehow sense our constant connection. This reminder helps me with [...]
Good morning... On Sunday, we began this 4th of July week with my husband Steve preaching at the little Log Cabin Community Church, just around the corner from our home. What are the two things I remember most about the welcoming, down-to-earth service? First, the worship leader, she quietly prayed for "the vulnerable and the voiceless." So many [...]
Good morning... All human effort dissolves into this Anthony de Mello story. When I applied myself to the study of wisdom and reflected on the kinds of tasks that occupy people’s attention on earth, I noticed how little sleep they generally get, whether day or night. I saw all the works and ways of God, and it became [...]
Good morning... "I thought of you and Audrey’s family when I read this and just wanted to share," an old friend wrote. Received in the midst of a challenging week, God's timing was perfect. ******* Dear Loved One by Sean of the South, June 18th This is weird. I realize this. But I wanted to write to you, [...]
Good morning... Allowing our nine-year-old, cancer-riddled dog to go to sleep at the vet's office yesterday, I trusted that Tate woke up immediately in heaven. Until this image came in from my golden-retriever-loving friend, I did not feel, in my every cell my being, the full force of God's resurrection power. What joy! What intimacy! What eternal oneness [...]
