Living In Limbo
Good morning... It feels like we are living in limbo. That's an interesting word. Limbo is a state of oblivion, an intermediate, transitional, or midway state or place, a place or state of confinement. Nothingness. Nowhere. Left field. Out there. As kids, we used to play the game of limbo, shimmying beneath a bar without touching the ground, a bar that was dropped down incrementally, lower and lower, round after round. The question was always, "How [...]
Dealing With Our Dirt
Good morning... "There is a dead weight of accumulation," Anne Morrow Lindbergh admits in Gift From The Sea, "a coating of false values, habits and burdens which blight life. It is this smothering coat that needs constantly to be stripped off, in life as well as in relationships" (58). Dead weight. Accumulation. Coating of falseness - values, habits, burdens. A smothering coat in need of stripping. At week nine of this work-from-home weirdness, [...]
Amid Life’s Noise
Good morning... A deep truth dawns. I must sense God's Spirit in the silence to notice God's guiding presence amid life's noise. Before leaving this wild, wild world to return to the full presence of our Father, Jesus promised us a gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit. He said, “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he [...]
I Hate To Disappoint
Good morning... I hate to disappoint people. I lose sleep over perceived mistakes. I feel most at peace when those around me are at peace. I am only as happy as my most unhappy loved one. Is this some personalized form of co-dependency, God? Why do I attach my cart to the perception of people instead of securely anchoring my whole self to You? This attachment issue I see in myself is not [...]
Celebrate In Spirit
Good morning... "This is our graduation room/table for today," she graciously wrote, trying to salvage and share a special sense of celebration during this strange season of pandemic-stricken Plan B's. "I thought I would share these pictures, because through your blog you sent the 'blessing' I will use as our devotional at our meal," she continued. "I typed it up and pasted it on construction paper, then placed it [...]
Perspective Is Powerful
Good morning... Originally, this weekend was to host graduation festivities for high schoolers in our neck of the world's woods. Our youngest son would have been one of the many celebrating this long-anticipated rite of passage, capping years of hard work in the classroom, unforgettable moments on the sports field, and life-giving hours on a performance stage. No picture party preceding a non-existent prom. No cap and gown extravaganza. No big graduation gatherings [...]
We Can’t Understand
Good morning... I open Biblegateway.com and read the verse for today. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things (Ecclesiastes 11:5, NIV). An old favorite poem pops to mind. I google the phrase "God's tapestry," and...viola...here it is. ****** The Weaver by Grant Colfax Tullar My life is but [...]
Get To Versus Have To
Good morning... Somehow I sense God has a given groove set out for the day ahead. The question becomes, "Will I trudge through today as a series of "have to's" or will I dance through the day as a sacred string of "get to's"? Yesterday, over the phone, I heard myself say to a friend, "Something just dawned on me. 'Have to's' bring heaviness. 'Get to's' bring gratitude." I like easy to remember [...]
I Feel Useless
Good morning... As the effects of this pandemic persist, I am hitting a wall within myself: Is what I am doing enough? How can I better bridge the gap between haves and have nots? What are my prayers really doing? How do I make an impact in people's lives when I can't see them, I can't hug them, I can't interact spontaneously? Seeking direction, I open the Henri Nouwen daily devotional for today. [...]
The Love Of A Linda
Good morning... She sent me a blog post that brought her to tears. For many deep reasons these words brought her to tears. ****** Mother’s Day by Sean Dietrich I’m going to call her Linda. Linda has health issues. She can’t walk very well. She has been using a pair of lightweight forearm crutches since her childhood. In her lifetime, Linda has had more surgeries than you can shake a catheter at. Which is [...]
The Mourning After Mother’s Day
Good morning... Her mom was a beloved teacher at the elementary school. Bright. Sunny. A breath of joy. She, I remember, was a vibrant young woman when her mother died, a loving daughter who was schooled daily by one of the best lovers of life ever to walk this earth. "To all the daughters who’ve lost their mothers," she wrote on Facebook yesterday, "to all the mothers who’ve lost a child, to the [...]
The Wish Never Changes
Good morning... Waking very early on Mother's Day morn, in quiet anticipation I open the package bearing my mom's beautiful handwriting. "Susie," the note sent from Ohio begins with my nickname. "A homemade Mother's Day card during the Covid-19 virus shelter-in-place order this year. The wish never changes. May your Mother's Day be special surrounded by your caring family and may you know we love you SO much and have many happy memories [...]