Joy On My Parents’ Face
Good morning... This week we received handwritten envelops, one for Steve and me as well as one addressed personally to each of our four kids and our daughter-in-law. At ages 88 and 87, my parents are still sending out Christmas cards. Pretty amazing, right? I took this photo as I visited with them in Ohio earlier this month. Look at their faces. My mom's broad, easy smile. The mischievous twinkle in my dad's [...]
You Will Recognize Him
Good morning... What should be easy, is hard. What usually takes no time, is taking forever. What I often take for granted, is not happening right now. Plagued by continued computer issues, my communication is halted. No emails have come into my inbox since 12/19. Ugh. Unable to share new photos, I went back to this old image previously shared. Baby Jesus in a manger resting beneath the star. God, what am I [...]
Come, Sit In Darkness
Good morning... Last night was the final New Moon of the year. Dark. Dark. Dark. For three straight nights we experience great darkness. Tomorrow night is the winter solstice, marking the exact moment when half of Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun. This God-ordered, natural phenomenon creates the shortest day, the day with the least amount of sunlight, and the longest night, the night with the most darkness. This winter [...]
Our Secret Santa Shop
Good morning... My favorite Monday of the year is when we set up a Secret Santa Shop at PAWkids for the kids in the afterschool enrichment program. This past Monday was the day and my car was loaded down like a sleigh! This year we simplified our giving, relying solely on the donations of our Thursday morning class, with our regular volunteers pitching in a few gift items as well. Each of the [...]
A Doozie Of A Day
Good morning... "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." This old adage came to mind as I looked south over the city of Atlanta yesterday morning. Even from a distance, I could tell it was going to be a doozie of a day. Sure enough. Computer concerns. Internet issues. Reworking yesterday's post so it worked more smoothly. Peeing and poohing our puppy at the perfect time, [...]
“Go Thin” This Year
Good morning... After a lifetime of searching for the biggest, widest Christmas tree every December - circling the tree farm, cutting our own - my husband and I decided to “go thin” this year. To be honest, we quietly grabbed the best tree we could find in Home Deposit's 8 to 9 foot bin, at 8:30 pm last Friday night. Deciding to "go thin" equalled choosing to simplify. Our choice reminded me of [...]
“Go Thin” This Christmas
Good morning... ...Sue...
Growing Thin This Xmas
Good morning... After a lifetime of having big fat Christmas tree, my husband and I decided to "go thin" this year. Honestly, it was the best tree we could find at Home Deposit in the 9 to 10 foot bin, at 8:00 pm last Friday night. I am reminded of Sue Monk Kidd's Facebook post, as she and her husband decided to "go little" this Christmas. A friend sent me her thoughts and [...]
A Path Through Our Pain
Good morning... In the early hours, the image above opened our Saturday morning post, I Get Overwhelmed. Together with the Holy Spirit, we learned a freeing truth: "I only need to find a path, I don't have to clear the wilderness." By Saturday evening, the image from our blog post became the back drop of a collage I created depicting my deepest prayers. Two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter were ambushed by [...]
I Get Overwhelmed
Good morning... "I get overwhelmed by everything," she said in our spiritual growth group yesterday. Then the Holy Spirit stirred within her a new thought. "I only need to find a path, I don't have to clear the wilderness." The rest of us get overwhelmed too, so, touched by what she said, we had her repeat the sentence. I typed it into my phone. "I only need to find a path, I don't [...]
How Might We Prepare?
Good morning... When our Thursday morning class met for our final celebration of the fall, one of the women read aloud to us a poem, a poem inspired to prepare our hearts for the transformational power of this Advent season. Now, this morning, as I prepare our home to host the final spiritual growth group of the semester, I will make copies of the same poem, offering women the opportunity to interact with [...]
The Inspiration Of Rachel
Good morning... After reading the quote by Rachel Held Evans shared in yesterday's blog post, as a class we decided to study Rachel's newest book next semester. It's entitled Wholehearted Faith. Up in the middle of the night now, I research a little bit about Rachel, an American Christian columnist, blogger and author. My google search reveals a tragic truth: "Rachel Held Evans died from extensive brain swelling after experiencing a severe allergic [...]