More Than Chocolate
Good morning... Many are in habit of "giving something up for Lent," but all of us have unexpectedly given up much more than chocolate for Lent 2020. We have given up NBA basketball, the March Madness tournament, and fantasy sports leagues that offer delightful distraction. We have given up time with friends, big group gatherings, hugs, touches, and natural bonding moments. We have given up proms, graduations, final sports seasons, and a long [...]
Social Distance With Steve
Good morning... It strikes me that many of you do not know my husband, Steve. You have not seen him. You have not heard his voice. You have never been in the same room. So during this time of social distancing, I thought I would share with you, on this memorable Maundy Thursday, the virtual chapel service Steve filmed from our basement to creatively connect with his school community. Utilizing this thought-provoking image of [...]
Beneath Our Food Fetish
Good morning... The following devotional message, written by my husband, arrived in my inbox on the same morning nine of us women from our Monday Bible study group packed two hundred and fifty Super Pack Boxes at the Action Ministries warehouse. Each box was filled with non-perishable goods to help one family of four to supplement their food stamps for eight to ten days. The experiential dichotomy of that day got my attention. [...]
Passing Our Prayers
Good morning... A friend sent me beautiful words shared by her church on Sunday. Instead of the traditional "Passing the Peace" portion of worship, during this season of social distancing her church family is developing a new habit called "Passing Our Prayers." ****** Today's prayer comes from Elizabeth Shows Caffey: Now I say to you in conclusion, life is hard, at times as hard as crucible steel. (Mmm) It has its bleak and [...]
See The Spread
Good morning... Following yesterday's post, Spread Calm With A Palm, many of you sent me pictures of God's green growth on your front door. One of you said, "Instead of the red blood of an unblemished lamb on that first Passover night, maybe these green branches on our doors symbolize our prayers for the virus to pass over our homes." As we begin this Holy Week, though we are physically separated, we see the [...]
Spread Calm With A Palm
Happy Palm Sunday... I received this announcement earlier in the week. Now I turn around to share it with you. God's green branch of peace surpasses our human understanding. Wherever we wake this Palm Sunday morn, may we unite as the calming body of Christ, physically isolated but spiritually inseparable. The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors [...]
Beer Cans At The Back Door
Good morning... In this season of social distancing, Uber Eats delivers. The local pizza place delivers. I too have made my second delivery. My delivery is a bit unusual. Do you remember my good friend's daughter Audrey, who has battled cancer and now raises funds for cancer research? Audrey's goal is "to make cancer treatment shorter and less painful for all children everywhere." (See One Dynamic Daughter to visit Audrey's story.) Well, one day [...]
Update: Location Change
Good morning... Atlanta residents: Updated information for the food drive this morning: Neighbors, Morris Brandon has moved its food drive location to the Peachtree Hills Recreation Center, 308 Peachtree Hills Avenue. Still 9-12 on Friday. Questions/comments/need help? Email us at info@CastlewoodCivicAssociation.org. ...Sue... P.S. Thank you all for so quickly filling in the slots to serve with me at Action Ministries on Monday the 6th and Friday the 17th.
Hope Is Handmade
Good morning... As I walked our golden retriever mix to and from the horse farm, on my way back I noticed a young girl. Slender build. Brown hair. About ten or twelve years old. Walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the street. She was holding a large basket in the crook on one arm. With her other hand, I saw her reach into her basket, pick up a small [...]
Shelter At Home
Good morning... "Nature is not a place to visit. It is home," says Gary Snyder in The Practice of the Wild. This quiet quote appears today on the cool dog calendar a friend gave me for my birthday. As we in the state of Georgia receive the new detailed directive to "shelter in place," this is the perfect morning to sink into God's truth: "Nature is not a place to visit. It is our [...]
Kids These Days
Good morning... "When songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David released the song 'What the World Needs Now Is Love' (originally sung by Jackie DeShannon) in 1965, the United States was deeply divided over the war in Vietnam," explains the Berklee Now publication from March 23rd. "Bacharach was initially nervous about the song's reception given the fragile cultural environment, but the song became a top ten hit and brought people together under its [...]
Intimate Loving Care
Good morning... I have been with people as they have taken their last breath. Sacred. Surreal. The eternal spirit leaves the still body. Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over. Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends. The body is put back in the same ground it came from. The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it (Ecclesiastes 12:7, MSG). With each additional death recorded during this worldwide pandemic, [...]