A Feast Of Friendship
Good morning... Last night we experienced a feast of friendship as over twenty women in our Atlanta community gathered together, deepening down into the healthy root system connecting Bankhead and Buckhead. Women, older and younger. Skin, darker and lighter. People, barely surviving and ultimately thriving. Enjoying fun foods and delicious drinks, we shared stories of great struggle and stories of great success. Each honest story revealed God's powerful Spirit working in us, among [...]
My Upside Down Photo
Good morning... Shared in a recent blog post, many of you love this Goodwill photo I decided to hang upside down on our wall. Symbolically, I thought I had emptied out every dream from this photo - dreams for the hungry children we have met on mission trips over the years, dreams for our four kids, our kids' kids, our kids' kids' kids, and dreams sprouting in my heart for the healing of [...]
Our Daughter Is Being Used
Good morning... "Hey mom, I'll be home for lunch," our youngest daughter said over the phone. "Can we talk about how we might use your blog to promote a project I am helping with at work?" "Of course," my momma heart was delighted to hear the ideas on her mind. Working as a paid intern for this summer at a small, well established Public Relations and Marketing firm here in Atlanta, our daughter, [...]
Our Green Ribbon
Good morning... "I think of you as I write this message on marriage," I texted my friend at 4:47 am. "God is such a faithful husband to you and I love seeing your wholeness reclaimed from within." "Lovely post, Sue," she texted back soon after. "And thank you. Love that we are already connecting this early morning." "Yes, I love it too," I replied. "But I am handing you the torch - having [...]
Our Wholeness Is Reclaimed
Good morning... "Good morning, Sue," emailed a reader I have never met from Tennessee. "Just had to share that your message on marriage came to me on what would have been our 34th wedding anniversary, having been married at Northside United Methodist Church June 6, 1987. You and I, as believers, know that there are no coincidences! Thanks for sharing God’s light and love through your wonderful devotionals. I am a grateful recipient! [...]
Mark Twain On Marriage
Good morning... I will remember last night's gorgeous wedding because of the white umbrellas passed out in the rain, my husband's heartfelt message to the bride and groom, a chance to talk and dance with incredible people, and the reading of a Mark Twain poem I had never heard before. A marriage makes of two fractional lives a whole; It gives two purposeless lives a work, And doubles the strength of each to [...]
Surviving The Teen Years
Good morning... As our baby turns 20 years old today, our family of six has officially survived the teen years. What have we learned along life's bumpy way? We serve God as we serve our family. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people (Ephesians 6:7, NIV). Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything [...]
The Joy Outside Our Fishbowls
Good morning... "This has got to be it," she texted me this Alice Neel painting after reading our post, At First I Hated It. "This title says Flowers of Mourning, but the Whitney Museum lists it as Still Life, Rose of Sharon... a biblical term from Song of Solomon - I am a rose of Sharon, a rose of the valley." "You found it, of course!" I texted back. "I love seeing the [...]
At First I Hated It
Good morning... Yesterday I unpacked this quote in our blog post, What Is Joy? Remember, my friend sent me the photo above along with these words: "Thought you would like this. From a wonderful collection on the Black experience. She has a beautiful poem by the same title." So I googled the title and pulled up the poem, Joy is an act of resistance. Honestly, at first I hated it. Reading the poem, [...]
What Is Joy?
Good morning... "Thought you would like this," a friend texted me the photo above. She continued: "From a wonderful collection on the Black experience. She has a beautiful poem by the same title." I was intrigued by the quote. "Joy is an act of resistance." To be honest, joy and resistance somehow seem like opposites to me. Oil and water. Yin and yang. Beloved and hated. Joy is light, free, empowering. Resistance is [...]
When Betty Was Seventeen
Good morning... This Memorial Day, I am drawn back to a story in one of my all time favorite books. I turn to page fifteen. Slowly I read again about the ravages of war and the trauma of abruptly losing a loved one. ****** Excerpt from The Hidden Life Awakened by Kitty Crenshaw and Dr. Cathy Snapp Betty was seventeen when World War II changed everyone's world. (Her father) Russell's battalion was transferred [...]
A Song For Memorial Day Sunday
Good morning... I am grateful God has given me a special friend who always tenderly reminds me of the deep meaning behind this long Memorial Day weekend. Yesterday he sent me a moving YouTube video, a gift that I now share with you. As I scan the young faces of the talented young men and women in the choir - different nationalities, different skin colors, different shapes, sizes, facial expressions - I wonder [...]