Held In Our Web Of Prayer
Good morning... In yesterday's post Little Eliza's Cancer, I explained how our Wednesday group has formed a web of prayer around our classmate Cathy, her granddaughter Eliza, and Eliza's young family, as she continues to journey with cancer as a four year old. One pastel streaked morning last week, I sent our group the Rally Foundation video of this family's touching story. Then by dusk the following day, with the sky oozing pinks [...]
Little Eliza’s Cancer
Good morning... As powerful pastels streaked the morning sky, I received an important email last Monday. Cathy, a loving grandmother in our Wednesday class, sent me a video created for the Rally Foundation, a short video chronicling little Eliza's cancer journey. Eliza is Cathy's oldest granddaughter, and Cathy's son and daughter-in-law tell the touching story of receiving their daughter's diagnosis of neuroblastoma when she was just three years old. "Sue, please feel free [...]
True Beauty Is Secreted
Happy Valentine's Day... At PAWkids, we beaded bracelets with the kids on Monday and created Valentines for ourselves with the adults on Tuesday. I wrapped up my handmade gift and card, excited to open them this morning when I wake from my second sleep. My bracelet holds one bead that says "Secret" on one side and "Beauty" on the other. The Spirit of the [...]
Wait With Me By A Tree
Good morning... I inched my way through thick Friday traffic to get to Lake Lanier Islands for our "Made for More" women's retreat. I arrived early, settled into my room, then went out into the woods to breathe before our 7:00 pm dinner. The winter sun was setting, and I didn't want to miss it. As I sat still, admiring the dark brilliance, I lived into the words I would teach the next [...]
We Are Made For More
Good morning... Last weekend, I led a retreat with thirty-two women for Kairos, a small Presbyterian church in town. God inspired the "Made for More" retreat material from a funny card I received several years back. Symbolically, we are all born as caterpillars, mindlessly munching the leaf upon which we are born. Yet, we are made to evolve into more. For this to happen, as [...]
5 C’s Of Our False Self
Good morning... After reading yesterday's post, including words of wisdom from our spiritual mentor Betty Skinner, one friend texted me along with another friend. Know who and whose you are. Remember, "Gratitude is everything." Keep your mouth shut and your heart open. "These are my favorites!!!" she said. "Agreed!" replied our other friend. "I was thinking of the 5 C's as well. I need to look those up again." We all knew what [...]
Betty Skinner’s Birthday
Good morning... Yesterday was Betty Skinner's sixth birthday in heaven. Betty was a Christian mystic and the heroine of my all-time favorite book, The Hidden Life Awakened by Kitty Crenshaw and Dr. Cathy Snapp. Incredibly drawn to her Jesus-like qualities, I took an annual pilgrimage to visit with Betty in Ponta Vedra, Florida for the last five years of her life. Returning home to be with Jesus in August of 2021 at the [...]
Fullness Fades. Remember.
Good morning... As I took our puppy out to do her business this morning, I looked up and the moon was half gone. How could that be? Just a short time ago, the big ball was full and bright, the exquisite handiwork of God. A friend actually sent me this fascinating Instagram post about the February full moon. Revisiting it now, I remember the wonderful winter brilliance. And so we come to the [...]
My Tiny Dream Died
Good morning... Yesterday, as I drove to the vet with our six month old puppy, a tiny dream of mine died. Honestly, I have always wondered if I would whelp at least one litter of puppies in my lifetime. In awe of the cyclical nature of life, I have thought that helping my dog to give birth to more dogs would be a crazy, cool experience. Yet, when the opportunity rested securely on [...]
A Brutal Untruth
Good morning... This harsh winter has been the perfect season for us to be reading Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May. On page 68, Wintering "...offers us a cyclical metaphor for life, one in which the energies of spring arrive again and again, nurtured by the deep retreat of winter. We are no longer accustomed to thinking in this way. Instead we are in the habit [...]
A Screenshot Of Grief
Good morning... "I was going through the screenshots on my iPad and came across this one from you that I had saved back in April 2023," a friend texted on Sunday. "I thought it was very good, and it might be something you would want to share again." Here is what I had written almost three years ago. I agree with my friend. This wisdom is [...]
Grief Is A Snowflake
Good morning... In our therapeutic community group at PAWkids last Tuesday, we used watercolor paints to bring this poem to life. ****** Grief Is Like A Snowflake... sometimes it comes one flake at a time; other times, it comes like a blizzard. It melts away, but it always comes back. Just as each snowflake is unique, each person experiences grief in their own unique way. ****** One friend painted a gorgeous snowflake tree, [...]