Good morning... Four of us were talking, my self, my friend who will begin chemo therapy treatments today, and two mutual friends, one a cancer survivor and the other a "through thick and thin" friend for years and years. The long lasting friend said, "You are going to need to let go of things, let go and let God." The cancer survivor added, "Life will force you to put some 'things' down. Right now, [...]

Good morning... Yesterday, her email was short and sweet: "I hope you will feel honored that your devotional was something I read to my dad in his last days - and a part of what I will say at his funeral tomorrow. Thank you for using your words and your gifts to bless others." Attached to her email, she sent a copy of the message she will share at her father's funeral today at [...]

Good morning... Though the church was closed in honor of Good Friday, our minister used his personal key to unlocked the Northside prayer chapel. A small group of us gathered around our dear friend who will begin her chemo treatments on Easter Monday morning. Our pastor opened the prayer time, he ended by leading us in song, and, into the sacred silence in between, different friends lifted aloud words of blessing, scripture verses of [...]

Good morning on Good Friday... As we drove our fourteen year old to a sleepover last night, we passed a tiny church with its door cracked open. Inside, we saw a pastor leading a Maundy Thursday service, and my son asked, "Dad, what is Maundy Thursday?" I must tell you, I love being married to a minister at times like this because my answer to my son would have been, "I have no idea." [...]

Good morning... At the middle school choral concert last week, I noticed I was aging. One of the songs performed was "When I'm 64" by the Beatles. The song begins, "When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now..." The chorus questions, "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?" And the final stanza includes the phrase "...grandchildren on your knee..." Up until last week, I thought [...]

Good morning... I woke up to a precious email from a mother. Since God took a long time crafting His heartfelt response to her through me, I thought the wisdom gleaned might be helpful for others in our "sue2you" community who are caring for those grieving. A teen rocked by the loss of her dear young friend is questioning her faith. This is what she said to her mom, "How can I believe in [...]

Good morning... Today, I celebrate the birthday of a special friend who, if she had been healthy on earth, would have blown out twelve candles on her birthday cake at her family's dinner table tonight. Instead, at age seven, on 8.17.11, she was scooped up by God's big arms of love and welcomed warmly into her forever home. Her five year cancer battle ended in victory and her mother's Care Pages post on 8.17.14 [...]

Good morning... The son of a mom in our "sue2you" community is a junior at a nearby high school. This young man embraced the privilege of being asked to share a message on Friday at the funeral of his friend. With permission from both this brave, articulate young person and the loving mom who grieves on earth while her son thrives in heaven, in awe I share with you the genuine, unconditional love of [...]

Good morning... Through the words of Henri Nouwen in his 3.19.16 daily meditation, it feels like God is sitting right in the midst of our confused, heartbroken community, answering a question burdening our minds and hearts. We are struggling to make sense of the shocking deaths of three well loved people in the past three weeks, a mom of four, a dad and husband, and a teenage boy with such positive potential. God through [...]

Good morning... One song ran through my mind repeatedly yesterday as my heart was prayerfully focused on those hurting tremendously in our community. The song filling my being all day long was the song we used to sing to our children every night as we tucked them into bed after a story and a prayer. Through nightly repetition, this simple song of comfort provides a source of permanent hope. "God will make a way [...]

Good morning... Rubbed thin. That is how many of us feel right now. Rubbed thin from incomprehensible tragedy. Rubbed thin from a plethora of needs jockeying for our time and attention. Rubbed thin from jumbled up emotions we can not put into words. We who feel rubbed thin are ones who have taken the "often amazing, sometimes awful" risk of loving, really loving. When I think of being rubbed thin, my mind wanders back [...]

Good morning... Reading the obituary of a boy my daughter's age is sobering. A junior at a nearby high school, his list of accolades are long and life-affirming. A three sport athlete. A well respected Eagle scout. A young man with a heart for the underprivileged in our community. An active member of a local church, a special place where many of my friends attend. How does one lay a teenager to rest with [...]