We Are Thriving
Good morning... “If you were a pancake,” the interviewer asked my daughter over the phone, “where would you be on the stack? Top. Middle. Bottom. Why?” This quirky question sparked a creative conversation around our family's dinner table before it seeped out to saturate our online community. Look at the answers piling up from yesterday's blog post One Quirky Question. Top “I’d be the top pancake, because I would soak in all the [...]
One Quirky Question
Good morning... "If you were a pancake," the interviewer asked over the phone, "where would you be on the stack? Top? Middle? Bottom? Why?" Seriously. Our daughter, interviewing for a public relations position, was asked this quirky question. With your brain scrambling to speak your own truth, "What would be your answer?" Once you have your own intuitive answer, I'll tell you the different responses from around our dinner table. Right [...]
Unwrapping the Gift Of Grief
Good morning... As I shared with you earlier, this week I enjoyed the privilege of recording a podcast on grief with Ginna MacFarling, seasoned hospice nurse, and James Johnson, our lively and talented Adult Discipleship Director at Northside Church. James edited down our voices into bite sized segments, entitling our life-giving conversation Unwrapping the Gift of Grief: Grief, Pandemics, and Garbanzo Beans. The entire podcast lasts an hour and ten minutes. Curl up [...]
Start By Starting
Good morning... Picking up medicine at the CVS pharmacy, I passed by the notebook aisle and saw the journal above. "Start by Starting," encouraged the cover. I felt drawn to it, the nudging words, the golden rings, the waves of pink, peach, purple. I picked it up and tacked it onto my purchase. I didn't think another thing about it until I read her email following yesterday's post, Refuel. Rebuild. Repair. "Beautiful – [...]
Refuel. Rebuild. Repair.
Good morning... "I just feel disconnected," she said as we walked and talked. She recently buried a beloved family member, her dear dog passed away, and, like many of us over these COVID holidays, she has lost the ability to safely gather with extended family and large groups of fun friends. Cut off from many of her dependable sources of comfort, she also really misses warm hugs, close contact, and unmasked bonding smiles. [...]
Grieving Without Hugs
Good morning... This morning, I have the privilege of taping a podcast on grief with nurse practitioner, Ginna MacFarling, and Northside Church's Director of Adult Discipleship, James Johnson. Having walked beside many through the grieving process, twice Ginna has helped to lead our well-loved six-week series, "Living Fully - Dying Well." Preparing for our podcast, Ginna gathered some of her favorite quotes on grief, and, to put my finger on the pulse of [...]
Santa, Steve, And Savior
Good morning... Many of you in our online community have enjoyed the chapel services created by my husband, Steve, who is the chaplain at a local high school. Usually the Upper School students cram into a packed chapel and experience a weekly service in person, but COVID has limited large gatherings indoors. Instead Steve records his weekly faith messages online, and the kids and teachers watch and discuss them together in their advisory [...]
Pain Is Never Wasted
Good morning... I didn't say a thing aloud, but my heart was crying out to God, shedding quiet tears, sharing the anguished lament of loved ones, hoping with all my heart, soul, and mind for the complete healing of a young woman about to undergo surgery for brain cancer. She and her young husband were separated in different places in the same strange city due to COVID restrictions, states away from their Atlanta [...]
What Gets You Out Of Bed?
Good morning... Over Thanksgiving our oldest son said, "Mom, I'm reading this book I think you'd really like." So I opened the beautifully textured hard cover and cozied up to read a few chapters. Here is one quote that taught me more deeply why Jesus coming to earth matters profoundly. The living presence of our loving Lord might be the only thing getting us out of bed on hard, heavy mornings. ****** Excerpt [...]
I Am A Sausage-Maker?
Good morning... The Spirit's synchronicity astounds me. Many, many of us related to yesterday's post My Inner Critic. It seems I'm not the only one prone to critical comparison, sometimes judging myself as less, unworthy, unimportant. But look at the text I received after yesterday's blog. "Hey dear friend," she wrote from another town. "I thought your posting today was as usual....perfect......look at my daily reading from Eileen Caddy today......the synchronicity is really [...]
My Inner Critic
Good morning... "Thought this was rather lovely," she texted me yesterday morning. "Wanted to share it with you." I touched on the link below and thoroughly enjoyed the captivating experience. Cozy candles. Meditative music. Soothing scripture. At the same time, I noticed my inner critic rising up with a vengeance, "Why do you even do a measly morning blog if these amazing devotional experiences already exist?" Isn't that what happens to us? We [...]
Our First Snow
Good morning... "First snow day of the season!" my sister texted the picture above from her small town in Ohio. As kids growing up in a suburb of Cleveland, we absolutely loved snow days off from school. "Oh how gorgeous," I replied. "We had minuscule specks of snow blowing in the air yesterday. Your beautiful snow photo provides quiet encouragement, 'Hibernate, dear ones, hibernate.' It feels like we are heading into an extra [...]