Savor Summer Love
Good morning... Please savor with me this delicious summer poem. ****** "Tomatoes" by Joy Sullivan I waited so long for love and suddenly, here it is standing in the garden, hands full of heirlooms hot from the sun. Soon we’ll make a supper of them. Salted slabs between slices of bread. Your beard silvers. My hips ripen. The mail piles up. Phone calls go unanswered. Forgive us. Our mouths are full of tomatoes. [...]
Share Your Crumbs
Good morning... Invited to share bread crumbs from our common loaf, please let this poem lead you home to your heart. ****** PLEASE by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer If you are one who has practice meeting the pain of the world, we need you. Right now we need you to teach us it is possible to swallow what is weighty and still be able to rise. We need you to remind us we can [...]
Join Me On The Porch
Good morning... This unique 4th of July, I truly believe there's room on the porch for everyone. Come on up! Lingering as we wake is a portion of our prayer from yesterday's post: May we find ourselves reminded that we belong to one another. Neighbors. Strangers. Friends. All wrapped up together in this web of beautiful, terrible inter-dependence. Celebrating the freedom of this Inter-dependence Day, join me in the joy of this bonding [...]
Living Unafraid
Good morning... On Sunday, we began this 4th of July week with my husband Steve preaching at the little Log Cabin Community Church, just around the corner from our home. What are the two things I remember most about the welcoming, down-to-earth service? First, the worship leader, she quietly prayed for "the vulnerable and the voiceless." So many in our world embody these two words right now. Second, in his captivating sermon Steve [...]
Tate Still Teaches
Good morning... Our nine year old dog went to heaven recently, and what I learned from our choice to release Tate's spirit from her cancer-filled body helped me this week. A friend called, distraught. Their ten year old dog had inoperable tumors growing in his liver. He would happily walk their five mile route, then he would suddenly crash when a tumor would rupture. He would muster his strength again, then he would [...]
Become A Beacon
Good morning... On Saturday morning, I received an email describing how each of us might become a beacon of hope in our Atlanta community. LaTonya Gates, the Founder and Director of PAWkids, reached out to me with this opportunity. ***** Hey Fam 💛 I need y’all in a big way. PAWKids has been given an incredible opportunity to win a $30,000 grant from Same House—but we need your help to make it happen! [...]
We Fall On Our Face
Good morning... Supporting the preaching series of our senior pastor, I crafted a devotional message to be sent to our Northside Church family today. As we fall on our face into God's grace, what might we learn? ******* In Dr. Bill’s summertime series, Rated M for Mature, we find our way to the most life-altering chapter of all. Genesis 3. Temptation. Original sin. The fall. We all know the setting. The glorious Garden [...]
Stop Seeking. Find.
Good morning... All human effort dissolves into this Anthony de Mello story. When I applied myself to the study of wisdom and reflected on the kinds of tasks that occupy people’s attention on earth, I noticed how little sleep they generally get, whether day or night. I saw all the works and ways of God, and it became clear to me that no one is able to grasp fully this mystery called life (Ecclesiastes [...]
Elizabeth’s Love
Good morning... Month after month, day by day, our written word community prayed diligently for Elizabeth, a creative mom of three, an incredible wife, and a kind friend to so many. One year ago today, Elizabeth's cancer journey invited her into her heavenly home. Revisiting her beautiful obituary helps us to remember Elizabeth's vibrant life and her bottomless love. Prayers continue for all who deeply miss her life-giving presence on earth. Clothed in [...]
Creativity Bonds Us
Good morning... Snapping this interesting photo on our hike yesterday, I thought "Creativity bonds us." Then, I thought back on an email I received earlier in the morning. "Hi," wrote a friend. "I enjoyed the video about the 87 year old woman who composed a piano piece while grieving the loss of her husband. Before opening your message this morning, I was reading The Hidden Life, Awakened, and the following words jumped out [...]
Composing A Dream
Good morning... After her husband dies, 87 year old Diana composes a new dream. May He grant the dreams of your heart and see your plans through to the end (Psalm 20:4, VOICE). ...Sue...
Emotions Unravel
Good morning... I send the photo above to my friend in Atlanta, exchanging a string of texts with these loving thoughts. Me: I wake this morning in the nest of the upper floor of my friend’s old home in Connecticut. Jayne is a soulmate from my graduate school days at UConn. This image greets me as I walk out in the hall. Sometimes life is so unraveling. No dressing up the pain you [...]