A Life-Giving Lyric
Good morning... In the silence of this early morning, which shade of emotion do I pull out and play with, like a pristine ball of pliable play dough? Sensing. Softening. Squeezing, stretching, shaping. God, which emotion of my multi-colored myriad needs tending to right now? As I breathe into this sacred space, God somehow answers. An old favorite song from my childhood wells up from within. I am welcomed forward into the freedom [...]
Sharing Our Story
Good morning... When a corner is finally turned and we find ourselves on the other side of this pandemic, what story will we share? Touch on the link below and enjoy one creative retelling. Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us (Luke 1:1, CEV). ...Sue... P.S. As I look forward to donning my mask and serving alongside our small group at Action Ministries this morning, [...]
Learning To Swim Together
Good morning... Yesterday's post focused on what children may be learning as they spend time outside of the traditional school classroom. Tip The Canoe stirred things up and dumped us out in different spots in our common sea of humanity. Some subscribers enjoyed the free swim of a slower pace and a simpler life: "Brilliant perspective! Fills my heart with joy. Thank you!" "Excellent!" "Love love love!!!!" "Fantastic!! I love this!!" "YES!!!! Thanks for the continued motivation ❤️❤️❤️." [...]
Tip The Canoe
Good morning... Looking back, my father graduated from Tippecanoe High School in Tipp City, Ohio. The year was 1957. Last week, my dad sent me an article from his most recent Tippecanoe '57 Newsletter. I think you might enjoy this positive perspective just as much as I did. ****** Something Positive May Come Out of the Coronavirus ? ? I received the following from Ruth White, retired Tippecanoe kindergarten teacher. Ruth is the [...]
Our Hindsight, 2020
Good morning... Hindsight offers a rich perspective on the tapestry of our lives. Right now, as we live forward, exactly what comes next hides from our view. Yet eventually, many of us will live on, looking back, telling our children and their children about the COVID-19 story. I am grateful to those who sent me this poignant YouTube video, a very creative video helping to heighten our hindsight in 2020. Enjoy the story. [...]
Forty Feels Like Forever
Good morning... Do you know the root word for quarantine? Quarantine is derived from the Latin quadraginta, meaning "forty." Similarly in Italian, quarantine comes from quaranta meaning "forty," which goes on to form the phrase quaranta giorni, which literally means "space of forty days." We have been at this quarantine routine for more than forty days, and as we consider gradually reopening our everyday lives, we lean into the deeper biblical meaning of the number forty. Forty [...]
On The Edge Of Maybe
Good morning... Today is Senior Sunday at our church, an annual celebration of the high school seniors raised by our church family. Every year, I love to flip through the traditional glossy trifold bulletin announcing the name, the high school, and the college of choice for each fresh graduating face. This unusual year, I noticed three changes right off the bat: 1) The treasured Senior Sunday trifold arrived quietly in our mailbox earlier [...]
Old AND New
Good morning... "I loved your post about Zoom fatigue," she wrote. "All so true, describing in detail the pitfalls of the Zoom experience in ways I hadn’t considered before. And yet... there are many blessings in Zoom too." She went on to list a few of her own personal experiences: "I was speaking with my husband yesterday and his sponsor in his recovery program has not been able to come to a meeting [...]
Why Are We So Tired?
Good morning... In a recent post, I sheepishly admitted "I am not drawn to connect through Zoom." As it turns out, I am not alone. "I am SO thankful that you have not zoomed our classes, as I would have felt compelled to “not miss out," one subscriber wrote. "THANK YOU for allowing us to have some perhaps-at-times-uncomfortable solitude." "Like you, I don’t want to feel pressured to have to connect via social [...]
Can I Get To The Finish Line?
Good morning... "Can I get to the finish line on this?" she asked me honestly, facing a heartbreaking set of overwhelming circumstances. "Finish line." Later the phrase popped back in my mind. "Finish line." I thought of the hilarious YouTube video below, shared when our couple's small group laughed through a fun evening for the first time since February. Outside. Nine of us. Socially distanced, more than six feet apart. "Finish line." Plodding [...]
Flexible Strength Grows
Good morning... Quietly reading this poem aloud, I slowly mulled over every word. ***** Lead Me out of My Doubts and Fears by Ted Loder Eternal God, lead me now out of the familiar setting of my doubts and fears, beyond my pride and my need to be secure, into a strange and graceful ease with my true proportions and with yours; that in boundless silence I may grow strong enough to endure [...]
An Indescribable Blow
Good morning... "As terrific as chemo was on my body (and soul)," she wrote to me after yesterday's post, "losing my hair was an indescribable blow. I felt diminished, even invisible, and it was difficult to face myself in a mirror. Wigs, scarves, and hats felt fake and uncomfortable. I am sure that this huge ego recheck was and is a blessing.... but let me say that the red that appeared on my [...]