Return To The Road
Good morning... Our Last Friday monthly spiritual direction group met for the first time yesterday. I had not invited a group of women to our home since COVID closed everything down in March. Meeting outside beneath our back porch, face to face felt so good. Face to face and soul to soul felt even better. Trusting the Lord to choose our opening reading, I was amazed at the two pages of wisdom God handpicked [...]
Taking The Day Off
Good morning... "Had you on my mind this morning," she texted, "and wanted to share this lovely poem that reminds me of you." In stillness we sense the movement of God, gentle, steady, expansive. Carried on the inner voice of Love, we travel a terrific distance. Attention, all! See the marvels of God! He plants flowers and trees all over the earth... “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving [...]
I Am Uncomfortable
Good morning... From Canada she sent a nurturing nugget. I must say, "Personally I am wading through the uncomfortable waters of unfamiliarity." Seeing footage of people carrying long guns in the chaos of American streets. My heart slowly growing awareness of the unequal treatment of people of color and the ugly shades of ongoing injustice. Policemen, most who conscientiously dedicate their lives for the good of our communities, are being shot [...]
You Oughta See Her Fly
Good morning... "So beautiful, Sue," she emailed after yesterday's post, On Broken Wings. "Do you know Martina McBride's wonderful song Broken Wings? I'm singing it to myself now. Xxxx." I had never met the song before, and when I googled it, the music video below popped up, a music video released on October 2nd, 2009. Sometimes our broken wings look like manipulative anger, self-centered control, and overpowering violence, subtle or overt. Sometimes our [...]
On Broken Wings
Good morning... We had not seen each other since COVID closed down our weekly class in March. Now three quarters of the way through September, it was the perfect cool morning for our heart-to-heart catch up. My friend has had a very difficult few years. An impending divorce. Anxious uncertainty. Soul-searching, "God, how will You heal me whole again?" Each with our dogs, walking some shady hills, we came upon an interesting sight. [...]
“Yes,” Said The Butterfly
Good morning... I was prayerfully hemming and hawing about a fairly insignificant decision. Though it was a small potato in the grand stew of life, still I wanted to choose wisely. I waited and waited until the surge of God's Spirit rose up to lead me to a pretty clear "Yes". It was a clear enough "Yes" for me to move forward with timid confidence. After I made my decision, I drove home [...]
Gratitude Day 2020
Good morning... 2020 has been a doozie all over the world. Globally much has captured our collective concern, but today, September 21st, marks the annual holiday designed to spark our collective gratitude: World Gratitude Day. Why do we need a World Gratitude Day? Isn’t our collective gratitude expressed on Thanksgiving Day? Yes, but traditionally not all countries celebrate Thanksgiving. Besides the U.S. and Canada, there are only a handful of countries which celebrate [...]
God Binds And Unblinds Us
Good morning... One new opportunity brought on by COVID is that the Upper School chapel services led by my husband Steve are shared virtually on YouTube. I received many positive responses from this week's message, so I thought I would share Steve's thoughts with you. What do we do the day after God's binding love begins to unblind us? The person loving a brother and sister stays in the light, and there is [...]
Here’s My Advice
Good morning... If you have been tracking God's recent movement in my life, you realize that I feel feeble and powerless as I try to hold steady my small sails, seeking to catch the strong, healing winds of God's powerful Spirit. Writing from scratch a companion study to Anne Morrow Lindbergh's classic Gift from the Sea feels like a God-thing, not a Sue-thing. I like peace, comfort, slow moving progress, so this whirlwind [...]
A Friend Who Cares
Good morning... As I pulled from our mailbox a white 3 x 5 envelop, I was excited to receive a handwritten note. She expressed gratitude for our God-ordained friendship. We are quietly walking together through the deep valley of her grief. On the top half of the card, she had cut out and glued on a touching Henri Nouwen quote. "When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most [...]
Be At Home
Good morning... The calming voice of my spiritual director soothed me from over the phone. She read to me aloud from a special translation of Psalm 19 by Stephen Mitchell. Later she texted me the words and I read and re-read their beauty in the comfort of my own home. Now I ask you to give yourself the gift of reading them slowly and aloud to yourself that you too might feel God [...]
Our Colorful Moods
Good morning... As my awesome friend came to our home for a walk and talk, we looked across the street to see joy in the making. The little, smiley girl from across the street was having a birthday, and this was the coronavirus version of "Celebrate good times!" My friend and I walked up some hills and talked up a storm, enjoying cool raindrops along the way. When we returned to [...]