The Inconsolable Stage Of Grief
Good morning... He and his wife watched Manchester by the Sea and they found themselves discussing it at length that night and into the next day. Later, he wrote me: "For some reason I'm reminded of a poem by W. H. Auden that so stunningly expresses the terrible stage of grief where one is inconsolable. It's Funeral Blues, which I may have shared with you before. If not, I hope you check it out [...]
Treasuring Two Movies
Good morning... I enjoy periodic movie nights with my close friend. Last month we saw Manchester by the Sea and last night we experienced Moonlight. Both movies are heavy and heartbreaking, painful and poignant, raw and redemptive. After each movie, my friend and I talked for hours, untangling jumbled thoughts, expressing myriad emotions, connecting insightful dots. "The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions which have been hidden by the answers," says [...]
Weathering Life With Our God And Our Dog
Good morning... On our return flight, I could not wait to get home, to walk through our front door, and to be smothered by the whole-bodied affection of our two dogs. Unbridled excitement. Unfettered joy. Undeniable love. Yesterday afternoon in our Listening Group, one of the women shared her deep emotions about recently putting their 15.5 year old dog to sleep and how God was carrying her through her immense sense of loss. Pulled [...]
My First Fast
Good morning... Because I did not grow up catholic and I have never wrestled competitively like my husband and our sons, I have never fasted. Until yesterday. A few weeks back, I happened upon these words in the book we are reading for our Spiritual Direction training program. Saint Ignatius of Loyola "spoke not of extended fasts but rather planning, focus and moderation regarding food. He encouraged focussing on the presence of Jesus, slowing [...]
Jesus Had It Easy
Good morning... If you knew your close friend would betray you by evening's end, would you sit down beside him and share a meal? If you knew this would be your final dinner, would you willingly pull up a chair and relax into your seat? If you knew this celebration would lead to your death, would you show up for the big event? With one verse in Scripture Jesus says, "Yes, I will sit [...]
We Keep Everything That Matters
Good morning... She read aloud another favorite quote: "And then it felt as though these thoughts came across to me in a prayer: 'Walk on with empty hands, because I have so much more to give you in the future, and you can't receive it if your hands are full. Don't be afraid that in letting go you are losing anything at all, because everything that matters...has been internalized and is firmly lodged in [...]
We Keep Everything That Matters
She read aloud another favorite quote: "And then it felt as though these thoughts came across to me in a prayer: 'Walk on with empty hands, because I have so much more to give you in the future, and you can't receive it if your hands are full. Don't be afraid that in letting go you are losing anything at all, because everything that matters...has been internalized and is firmly lodged in your heart. [...]
What Is God’s Trademark?
Good morning... I happen upon Psalm 145:17 in the Message translation. Everything God does is right—the trademark on all his works is love. My mind wanders and wonders: "What is the definition of trademark?" Researching I learn, a trademark is a distinctive characteristic by which a person or thing comes to be known. A stamp or seal. A trait or specialty. A hallmark or insignia. The trademark on every right thing God does is [...]
More And More Fullness Of Life
Good morning... She read aloud her favorite quote from this week's chapter, "...as people journeying in faith, we have committed ourselves, deep in our hearts, to trust that whatever the future holds, it will always unfold in ways that ultimately, though perhaps not immediately or visibly, lead to more and more fullness of life, for each and for all." (Margaret Silf's The Other Side of Chaos, p. 119-120) We are journeying in faith toward [...]
Happily Trust And Obey
Good morning... As I was texting back and forth with a close friend recently diagnosed with cancer, the words from an old hymn came bubbling up, "Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey." We were both drawn to the simplicity of focus. Be happy in Jesus. Trust. Obey. So I googled the song, written in 1887 by John H. Sammis, and I [...]
God Continues The Conversation
Good morning... Continuing yesterday's conversation, God drew me to an article entitled 40 things to give up for Lent and beyond, a list published in 2015 by Phil Ressler. Might we pick one inner quality to reflect upon during each of the forty days in Lent? There are forty days between Ash Wednesday and the Saturday before Easter, minus a mini-Easter every Sunday. Daily might we ask, "God, how do I see You transforming [...]
What Are We Giving Up For Lent?
Good morning... During our Listening Group yesterday, we placed our base on this truth: God is love (1 John 4:8b). God is patient. God is kind. God does not envy. He does not boast, is not proud. God does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking. He is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, [...]