You Were Built For This
Good morning... Having heard that I just became a grandmother, a friend from Florida wrote: "Sue I am SO excited and happy for you!! Yay yay yay!! Just catching up on emails and overjoyed for your whole family!" She continued: "I love this Henry David Thoreau quote too: 'Every child begins the world again.' And the video below is both funny and encouraging - a reminder Charlie arrived exactly when he was meant [...]
One Lives. Another Dies.
Good morning... After four years of infertility and four miscarriages, this picture was taken just minutes after our first son Kyler was born thirty-one years ago. We see the blood, his gasp for breath, the total admiration in my face. Giving birth is risky, very very risky. Every time a baby is born, an awesome, terrifying miracle takes place. I am reminded of this truth as in the same week our daughter-in-law Chandler [...]
One Grandmother’s Loss
Good morning... "When a child is born, so is a grandmother," wrote a longtime friend when our first grandson arrived. I was thinking about this statement when I opened the following email. A regular reader wrote these touching words after our blog Nothing Like A Newborn. She gave me her permission to share her story with you. "Beautiful post and congratulations on Charlie," she wrote. "I am so happy for you and your [...]
Nothing Like A Newborn
Good morning... From all the loving texts and emails I have received since our first grandchild, Charlie, was born, one word of encouragement lingers. "How does the saying go?" a friend wrote. "There is nothing like a newborn to remind us that God has not given up on the human race. Charlie is the sweetest reminder. These are the sweetest days. So glad they live close by so you can soak them up." [...]
Charlie Was Born By Prayer
Good morning... On May 14th, we got our son Kyler's first text at 2:14 am. "At the hospital! Pray for us. Chandler is doing amazing." I wrote our blog post in the middle of the night, sharing their request for prayers, then I headed back to bed for my second sleep. At 9:00 am, his next text came in, "She's pushing now. Everything seems to be progressing well." That's when the hardest part [...]
Our Son Is Having His Son
Good morning... On Mother's Day morning, I received this photo, one of my favorites of all time. It's the mother-son dance at Kyler's wedding nearly four years ago. Now our first born son will soon have his first born son, what a regenerative gift from God. "Happy Mother’s Day!" his wife Chandler texted me on Sunday. "Love this photo - it totally captures your radiant, free, and joyful spirit! I hit the jackpot [...]
“Welcome Baby Allen”
Good morning... I received a special package this week from our former exchange student from Norway. Margit lived with my biological family for a year when she was a junior in high school, my sister was in ninth grade, I was in seven grade, and my brother was in fifth grade. Margit became a soul sister and a beloved daughter to us in the most magical way. Since 1975, we as a family [...]
Wake Up To The Hodgepodge
Good morning... When one odd word repeats itself, my keen awareness perks up. Yesterday, I reworked our post entitled Life Is A Patchwork. Then I climbed back in bed for my second sleep. When I woke again, I immediately read the following poem. Do you see what unusual word repeats itself? ****** "Rain Light" by W.S. Merwin All day the stars watch from long ago my mother said I am going now when [...]
Life Is A Patchwork
Good morning... At Scott's Antique Market, I found this Mother's Day gift for my mom. I sent it with a card for her to hang on a doorknob in their senior living community in Ohio. The cross stitched treasure reminds me of the many handmade creations my mom made as gifts over the years. The words share a sweet blessing. Life Is A Patchwork Stitch a little bit of lovin', Add a lot [...]
The Muddy Mess Of Me
Good morning... Walking beside the muddy banks of the Chattahoochee river, I was reminded of a quote from our final book of the semester, Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer. On page 79, Parker writes about the season of spring. "...before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck. I have walked in the early spring through fields that such your boots off, a world so wet and [...]
The Greatest Gift Of All
Good morning... "These words from Frederick Buechner captured me this morning…enjoy!" said the text from my friend. ****** Grace AFTER CENTURIES of handling and mishandling, most religious words have become so shopworn nobody's much interested anymore. Not so with grace, for some reason. Mysteriously, even derivatives like gracious and graceful still have some of the bloom left. Grace is something you can never get but can only be given. There's no way to [...]
Wherever The Path Leads
Good morning... Feeling anxious about the unknown ahead is a common experience for many of us. In response to this very human vulnerability, a friend sent me the devotional message below. ****** Wherever the Path Leads Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there! - PSALM 77:19 NLT When Pharaoh and his army pursued Moses and the Hebrews, God's chosen people fled on [...]