Joyfully Reunited
Good morning... Last month I was joyfully reunited in Jacksonville, Florida with friends and family of Betty Skinner to honor the memory of our beloved spiritual mentor. Betty is the down to earth Christian mystic at the center of The Hidden Life Awakened by authors Dr. Cathy Snapp (in the UGA hat) and Kitty Crenshaw (pictured above Cathy). We laughed a lot. We cried a bit. We even danced in the dark to [...]
Broken Feels Horrible
Good morning... As my friend and I walked and talked around the horse farm, we discussed all that feels broken, out of order, in disarray right now. Mid-sentence I looked down to see a single butterfly wing at my feet. Disconnected from the whole. Lying alone there in the dirt. I picked up the fragile...little...useless wing. The small symbol deepened our own awareness. What used to provide a sense of sturdy balance had [...]
Thoughts From Steve’s Sidekick
Good morning... My husband Steve has taught, coached, and ministered as the head chaplain of The Lovett School for over twenty-five years. He has served alongside fabulous faculty members, year after year, and their chaplain team tenderly cares for the upper, middle, and lower school students and their families, day in and day out. On Monday I received the weekly devotional email sent out by Lovett's chaplain team. I found Jennifer's words to [...]
Appreciation For Teachers
Good morning... The complex matrix of needs in the life of children today are supported in tangible ways through the teachers within our classrooms. Teaching is often a thankless job, like changing diapers, preparing daily meals, and cleaning endless piles of dirty clothes. School is a second home for many and teachers are passionate pseudo parents to the kids growing up in our communities. Teachers remind me of Brother Lawrence, the humble monk [...]
Fun Mother’s Day Gifts
Good morning... The joy of this Mother's Day week is already picking up speed. Our artistic friend Corinne Adams is also a dedicated homework helper at PAWkids, the non-profit downtown where several of us are enjoying quality time. Corinne is in the process of photographing all of the twenty kids in the after school enrichment program. Look at some of these gems! Today [...]
What Makes A Good Marriage?
Good morning... Along with a baby blue golf shirt to match the color of his eyes, I gave me father a tiny yellow birthday gift. Pictured above, I gave him a small symbol of the love I see him sharing tenderly with my mother, his wife for over sixty years. Two little ceramic birds leaning into each other. One with eyes open, the other with eyes resting shut. Comfort. Support. Two melting into [...]
On My Dad’s 85th Birthday
Good morning... My father is 85-years-old today. Right now, at 3:40 am, I am gently unwrapping his first birthday gift. For the first time in weeks he is asleep in their familiar bed, hopefully receiving some much needed rest. I took his place on the couch nearby my mom who is sleeping in her recliner, continuing to recover from her fall, her broken femur, and a small stroke with a life-threatening infection which [...]
Bleeding Into Today
Good morning... Yesterday's post continued to bleed into my day. Our final words became my constant prayer. "Lord, please heighten our sensitiveness to you. May we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell your magic all around us." Right away a loyal reader from Florida wrote. "Good morning Sue," she texted. "I have always stopped daily to notice something in nature, like a bonus going about my day, but during this difficult season with [...]
In The Midst Of My Anxieties
Good morning... "God is present with me this day," I read aloud one of my favorite Howard Thurman passages found in Meditations of the Heart. "God is present with me in the midst of my anxieties. . . . Little by little, I am beginning to understand that deliverance from anxiety means a fundamental growth in spiritual character and awareness. It becomes a quality of being, emerging from deep within, giving to all [...]
My Mistake
Good morning... "Unfortunately, this is not true," a loyal subscriber from Canada wrote after the music video I posted yesterday of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy reportedly singing "Endless Love" with his wife in March 2022. Our regular reader sent me a link exposing the truth that the music video was mis-captioned, adding the following facts. "While Zelenskky can’t be seen singing 'Endless Love' with his wife in this video, he truly had a successful [...]
Zelenskyy Shares Love
Good morning... I just happened upon a music video expressing the love of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife, recorded on March 15th, 2022. It is touching to consider how the endless love of this young couple pours into the lives of so many who are losing their loved ones in this ugly war. Lord, your faithful love continues forever (Psalm 138:8b, NIRV). ...Sue...
Today’s Funeral
Good morning... I wake early in deep prayer for my special friend. Today I support her, as she supports her husband, as he lays his father to final rest. After weeks of facing serious health challenges, her father-in-law went to heaven at age 85. My own dad turns 85 this week, and, as many of you know, my 83-year-old mom has struggled with her own serious health challenges this month. So I walk [...]