A Place For Renewal
Good morning... I returned the tools to my master gardener friend after my husband and I shared our pruning adventure. Now we wait, we watch, we wonder, "What new growth will eventually appear?" As I shared in yesterday's blog post, The Power of Pruning, my constantly curious friend taught us about "restoration pruning." She added "Some call it 'renewal pruning'." The word "renewal" got me thinking about the life-giving piece she wrote for [...]
The Power Of Pruning
Good morning... Okay. So our front hedges have been growing way out of control, hiding the bottom half of our window and inching up toward the tippy top. We have lived in this house for about six or seven years, so the seven year itch was creeping up on our bushes. Small periodic hair cuts had become useless. Drastic measures were needed to cut back the overgrowth. So last Saturday, my special friend [...]
Guided By The Light
Good morning... Leaving church yesterday after a handful of life-giving conversations, this exquisite burst of colorful light danced freely on the exit doors. "Wow, how gorgeous," I thought to myself, then I looked to my left to see the Source of beauty. It was as if the living Christ was playing with the Giver of light, whispering, "Take a moment. Notice Me. I AM with you always." I stood in [...]
One Funny Friday
Good morning... “I felt exposed and completely loved and accepted at the same time (which is the definition of compassion for me). Trust me when I tell you that shame and fear can’t tolerate that kind of powerful connection surging between two people. That’s exactly why courage, compassion, and connection are the tools we need for the Wholehearted journey. To top it off, my willingness to let someone I care about see me [...]
As We End We Begin
Good morning... As we grow out of 2020 and ignite God's peace and light in 2021, words from T.S. Eliot guide us forward. "For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next years words await another voice," says the poet. "What we call the beginning is often the end, and to make an end is to make a beginning." Morning by morning, we can choose to make an end to fear, [...]
Healing Headlines
Good morning... "I thought you might like this," writes a subscriber I have never met. "God is always at work in all our lives." She is just a little bit off. I don't like it, I absolutely love this post by cool blogger Sean of the South. I think you will absolutely love it too. ****** About Last Night by Sean Dietrich - February 23rd, 2021 Last night, amidst the biting Michigan cold, [...]
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. [...]