Good morning... As I walk to and from the horse farm with a friend, she shares the song guiding her through her darkest hours. Listening to this song over and over again, her trust grows in the God who is good, the forever faithful One. No hurricane hitting our heart changes who God is, was, and always will be. In sun and in storm, our Savior is... [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and [...]

Good morning... We gathered together in the morning before the afternoon funeral. We read aloud the beginning of Psalm 71 to open our heartfelt time of prayer on behalf of our friend who grieves the loss of her husband and the kids who will always miss their dad. Verses one through three, in the Message translation, read like this: I run for dear life to God, I’ll never live to regret it. Do what [...]

Good morning... This semester in my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes, the book we are discussing chapter by chapter is Brene Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection. On page 53, Brene writes: "If you're like me, practicing authenticity can feel like a daunting choice - there's risk involved in putting your true self out into the world. But I believe there's more risk in hiding yourself and your gifts from the world. Our unexpressed ideas, [...]

Good morning... I am suffering from a solidarity headache. Solidarity means the feeling of union with others in a community. The expression of unity within a group formed by a common bond. The fellowship arising from shared purpose, interest, or sympathy. I have a solidarity headache right now. I feel union with one dear friend from my Wednesday afternoon Bible study who will bury her husband tomorrow following his shocking death. I share sympathy [...]

Good morning... How do you make it through those first moments when the unthinkable happens? Who do you call? What do you do? How do you breath? How do you sleep again after the unthinkable happens? Eyes red from crying. Heart shattered into pieces. Confusion, what ifs, and "Why, LORD God, why?" How do you live on when the unthinkable happens? Breath by breath. Moment by moment. Surviving each hour requires every ounce of [...]

Good morning... I love the interactive nature of our "sue2you" daily blog. I appreciate people choosing the "Reply here" option at the bottom of each message, privately sharing personal thoughts or offering me kind words of encouragement. Another dynamic facet of this online gift is an invitation into a deeper, wider wisdom. When I wrote about my friend recently diagnosed with cancer (see 2.18.16 post, "Living heaven on earth"), a few subscribers gave me [...]

Good morning... You might have guessed one strong characteristic of my friend newly diagnosed with cancer (see 2.18.16 post, "Living heaven on earth"). She is a voracious reader. I, on the other hand, have an ADD, dyslexic brain, so I have a very short list of books I have read in my lifetime. My slow savoring of each beloved book and my chapter by chapter teaching style are two of the gifts born out [...]

Good morning... Last night, I got a text from a friend needing to change plans for today. She wrote: "I am not going to be able to tomorrow. Sad but I need to bare down on some unattended to personal issues." I texted her back right away: "The phrase 'bare down' reminds me of the process of natural childbirth. Really, really hard work, but definitely well worth the painful effort. I am praying for [...]

Good morning... Last Tuesday night's Women's Lenten Communion Service was the loudest communion I have ever experienced. As I said by the end of the night, "I think God loves hearing our voices mingling around His communion table, feeling at home together in His home." It was as if all one hundred and thirty-nine of us were reenacting a send off party for Jesus before he began his walk to the cross. Think about [...]

Good morning... Last night, I drove seven high school girls and their homemade food to Trinity House, a recovery program for men in downtown Atlanta. Once a month, my husband, who is the high school chaplain, divvies up different items on a menu, various kids volunteer to bring food, and a small group of students shares dinner with the men recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Last night my husband had another important commitment, [...]

Good morning... Yesterday's post, "A text to remember," was twenty-one years in the making, and many felt blessed by the words of our son. One seasoned male subscriber wrote: "Just wonderful, Sue!" Another young mom wrote: "Hi friend! I loved this one. It puts our world with two little ones in perspective....what we are doing is teaching them love and how to share love!" Another mom of young adult children wrote: "I so appreciated [...]

Good morning... My husband and I recently received this group text from our college-aged son, in the middle of an ordinary day, in the middle of an ordinary week. "I don't say this enough to you guys but y'all really are the best parents anyone could ask for. I have always taken it for granted because I assumed that everyone's parents treat their kids the way y'all treated us. But after talking with people [...]