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 [...]
Cutting More Than Hair
Good morning... "It looks like your Mom and I need to get to Atlanta so we can have our hair cut," my dad texted this weekend from Ohio, joking about the controversial decision by Georgia's governor to reopen some "essential businesses." Hair and nail salons. Tattoo and massage parlors. Restaurants, movie theaters, and bowling alleys. Sequestering for several weeks, my own wild hair growth inspired me to google: "How long does donated hair [...]
Be Freed
Good morning... "People are not onions but artichokes!" author Larry Warner reminds our group of Spiritual Directors. "Each layer removed brings us closer to freeing the heart to love and to be loved." ...Sue...
Comfort In Crisis
Good morning... Together we are learning about Ring Theory, concentric circles of support expanding out from each individual (see yesterday's blog post Our Words Matter). During this Covid-19 crisis, we recognize the importance of sending "comfort in" to the front line workers, those in danger, those grieving, and we work our own "grief out" with people in our larger circles of support. It is as if Alicia Keys read about Ring Theory before she [...]
Our Words Matter
Good morning... "I read this article and found it really helpful," she texted, "not just for how to handle people on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis but for any one in danger or in grief. The final message at the end of the article reminded me of something lovely you would say. I don't know if this might help your readers, but I thought I would send it your way in [...]
Humor Helps
Good morning... "Action Ministries now requires you to bring your own personal mask to wear while packing food boxes," she texted me to help find two more people to serve with her small group of friends. Our family already knew the new face mask rule, having served together on Good Friday morn (see our goofy picture above). I quickly texted back, "My daughter and I would love to join you at Action Ministries on [...]
One Clever Clip
Good morning... As we talked by phone for two full hours, one woman sat outside a local Starbucks in the sacred space of her car, another woman was holed up by herself in her now claustrophobic home, and the other sat in the privacy of a closet, door shut to her overcrowded clan. I listened attentively from the quiet comfort of our cozy bed. "I have to send you this funny quarantine video," [...]
Dive To The Depths
Good morning... My mind returns to a segment of Scripture read to me over the phone by a friend. Sequestered in solidarity, let's read these vibrant verses slowly aloud. You there. Me here. Us bonding together as we begin this new day. God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like [...]
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Good morning... As I cleaned out my home office over the weekend, I came across a year-long calendar of quotes from various writers, two inches thick, a bit larger than a 3x5 card. The spiral bound gift, given a long while back, rested open to these words from July 4th. "In the black night, I listened to His voice and I heard Him in a way I never had before. I stopped trying [...]