Pain Is Leftover Love
Good morning... As my friend has been processing her extraordinary grief, she texted a sentence that touched my heart. "I just saw a quote," she wrote. "The pain is the leftover love you don't get to give." Fires, floods, feuds. Loss, lethargy, loneliness. Death, disasters, depression. Cancer, callousness, calamity. Betrayals, breakups, bombings. Accidents, addictions, Alzheimers. There are so many experiences in life that can severe our dreams. We all plan on enjoying a [...]
Dawning In The Dark
Good morning... “When morning gilds the skies…” This familiar hymn, singing in my head, stirs me from my sleep. Instinctively, I look out the open window and shoot one photo through the screen. The word gild comes alive as the dark early morning sky is embellished with golden light from the moon and the stars. Then, I tiptoe down the carpeted stairs of the log cabin where my 94 year old mother-in-law lives. [...]
Audrey’s Race Is Won
Good morning... Another loyal friend, a daily blog reader and longtime Northside Church member, wrote to me recently, sharing the photo above, offering a tribute to Audrey DeShetler who went to heaven in June. ****** Audrey's Race Is Won by Vilda Brennan About 10 years ago, I took a course called Soul Collage. I loved the concept of letting your innermost parts speak to you as you cut images and applied them to [...]
A Mass For Audrey
Good morning... On Saturday, July 5th, out of the blue, I received this special card in honor of Audrey DeShetler. Audrey went to heaven on Sunday, June 8th, ten hours before her twentieth birthday. Not being catholic, I was not sure what it meant to hold a Mass for a loved one who has passed. So I wrote to Betsie, a loyal, longtime member of our written word community, and we shared this [...]
PAWkids Wins!
Good morning... Thanks to all of you who have voted daily since August 1st to support the important work of PAWkids in our Atlanta community. Yesterday, I received this awesome announcement. How exciting! In our world, there seems to be a growing gap between "the haves", "the have nots" and "the have yachts". Our living faith steps into this landscape, spurring us to find creative ways [...]
I Have Missed You
Good morning... The last time I wrote to you, I had been Out Of Cell Service for three full days, savoring the rustic beauty of Siempre Verde, Ecuador, a magical place where The Lovett School maintains an amazingly lush property on a remote mountain in the cloud forest. Traveling to the second half of our trip with a group of sixteen from the Atlanta area, I thought I would be back in contact [...]
Out Of Cell Service
Good morning... I have been delightfully out of cell service for 90 percent of the past three days. Traveling with my husband on his new venture with the Lovett School, we have loved bonding with our group of sixteen, mostly strangers who are becoming fast friends. Steve is creating of an adult trip program, and I get to join in on some of his adventures. Getting away to Siempre Verde, Ecuador to Lovett's [...]
Indirectly Affected
Good morning... I stepped out of our front door and noticed the rising sun casting indirect light on a brand new summer day. Stepping down slowly, I moved in awe toward the warm Source of all light. Then I looked up and saw a beautiful spider web, set all aglow. The indirect light reminded me of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quote [...]
We’re Bonded Forever
Good morning... "Thinking about you and holding you and Tate in my heart," wrote my friend on one random morning. "I bet she is playing with my Watson. I love you." What a sweet reminder. We talk about our loved ones in heaven all the time. And they somehow sense our constant connection. This reminder helps me with missing Tate, with missing Audrey, with missing all my loved ones who have gone before. [...]
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 [...]