How Is Your Joy Meter?
Good morning... "Thank you," she said after yesterday's post, I Think Of You At Sunrise. "It really matters to me that you take the nighttime shift of prayer on the behalf of so many of us. It matters that I am thought of, prayed for, and bonded with you each day. Our reliable connection matters because so much else has fallen away over the past year." "I used to enjoy the contagious smiles [...]
I Think Of You At Sunrise
Good morning... "I think of you at sunrise," she said on yesterday's walk and talk. "Did you see the sky this morning?" Actually, I had not. I had written our blog post from 3:30 to 6:40 am, so by then I was one tired Tigger. I peeked at the pre-dawn sky, sensing it would be a good one, before I climbed back into bed for some extra sleep. Around 7:00 am, my friend [...]
One Tired Tigger
Good morning... "I feel like a tired Tigger," she said as we shared a walk and talk in yesterday's chilly sun. "I would love to bounce forward like you said in your blog today, but I just feel like I am bouncing up and down like Tigger, bounce, bounce, bounce, but I'm not going anywhere. It's exhausting to spend so much energy not moving forward yet." "Undone. That word undoes me." She quoted [...]
Bounce Back?
Good morning... How will homebound kids bounce back from nearly a year of remote learning? How will the economy bounce back after its nosedive? How will hurting families bounce back from the loss of loved ones, unemployment, and food/housing insecurity? How will our churches bounce back into regular attendance? How will our communities bounce back after conflict, division, and opposing opinions? "We cannot bounce back," said a commercial I saw yesterday. "We can [...]
Lingering In The Grey
Good morning... "Hi Sue," she texted, "the above image, shared by a friend but photographer unknown, is evocative of Lent and these lingering grey days. It may resonate with your artist/writer soul." Inviting my soul to dance, this photo is fantastic, mysterious, ethereal. A snow covered prayer labyrinth. The pointy tips of a cathedral in the hazy fog. A gentle pastel sky mixed with billowy clouds. A bundled up person strolling amid the [...]
The Joy Of A Snow Day
Good morning... I read a shocking headline from fifteen hours ago: "73 Percent of the U.S. Covered in Snow, the Most Widespread Coverage in 17 Years." Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida are the only three states in the lower forty-eight completely untouched by snow on The Weather Channel map. I'm disappointed Atlanta is left out of this sensational snowy mix. Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, we always loved snow days. [...]
Steve’s Thoughts From Our Couch
Good morning... As many of you know, my husband Steve is the upper school chaplain at the Lovett School here in Atlanta, a day school which has been meeting safely, with only a few COVID hiccups, since last August. Even with these fortunate kids and teachers enjoying the benefits of in-person learning, there are many daily changes in the protocol to protect from viral spread. One thing most missed by many is the [...]
Are You Hungry?
Good morning... For me, tonight quietly signifies another invisible loss. Since 2007, each Tuesday night before Ash Wednesday we have hosted our annual Women's Lenten Communion Service. For fourteen straight years, God has prepared our hearts for the season of Lent by gathering at church with a standing-room-only crowd, listening to a life-changing, God-revealing story from the ordinary life of a woman in our community, and breaking bread together to feed our deepest [...]
One Yellow Tinted Bird
Good morning... After teaching our Zoom class in the cozy quiet of our newly decorated church parlor, I packed up my candle and laptop, I gathered my phone and purple notebook, and, after talking with a few friends on the staff, I walked out into the brick courtyard on the way to our car. Just outside the door, I was shocked by an unexpected sight. About four feet from the exit laid a [...]
Some Very Special Valentines
Good morning... On January 7th I received a very fun email: "We have a precious senior in high school who, for the past few years, raises money to purchase roses and Godiva chocolates and delivers them to our homebound church members for Valentine’s Day," wrote a friend from the Pastoral Care department at Northside Church. "It is an enormous effort, but it means so much to all our folks. Every year I give [...]
The Wonder Of A Wedding
Good morning... Last Saturday Steve borrowed a tux, and we thoroughly enjoyed a highly anticipated black tie wedding with longtime friends. The dynamic wedded couple, who had dated diligently for over a decade, will now enjoy many, many more decades growing together in oneness with God and each other. The joyful wedding video from last Saturday is not yet available to view, but I did receive a very touching wedding video this week, [...]
Which Face Is Mine?
Good morning... We are each a strange mixture of sometimes selfish, sometimes kind, sometimes building up, sometimes tearing down, sometimes annoyingly anxious and sometimes exuding peace. Each human heart is a many-faceted thing. We influence others as we are gradually transformed by God. Whenever our hearts make us feel guilty and remind us of our failures, we know that God is much greater and more merciful than our conscience, and he knows everything [...]