Depressed And Hopeful
Good morning... As I stroll into our summer reading of Henri Nouwen's Here and Now, I meet these words on page 43. "Joy and hope are never separate. I have never met a hopeful person who was depressed or a joyful person who has lost hope." I think to myself, "Actually, I think I am a hopeful person who sometimes get depressed." My emotions can wax and wane like the moon, and, at [...]
Worries, We All Have Them
Good morning... Yesterday, our Thursday class met for our first monthly gathering of the summer. We celebrated a special seventieth birthday, with a homemade cake and candles, balloons and flowers, cards and gifts. We caught up on our stories. Stories of babies born and concerns for our aging parents. Stories of painful health issues and the frustration of insurance postponing a much needed surgery. Stories of thriving beyond divorce and gracefully living on [...]
Two Awesome Summer Options
Good morning... I love the rhythm of our Women's Ministry at Northside Church. We enjoy a fertile fall semester and a wonderful winter/spring semester, then, for the summer, we channel all of our study and our service opportunities into a few awesome options. Our weekly summer reading group begins at 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 3rd. Our first book is Here and Now: Living in the Spirit by Henri Nouwen. Please get your [...]
Spring Cleaning Lifts Us
Good morning... One thing that has lifted my spirits this year is the act of spring cleaning. My friend Elizabeth has begun a small decluttering business, and she used me as her guinea pig. Here is what she wrote up about our hands-on experience. ****** Most of us slowly grow blind to our clutter. We walk around it—or sometimes over it—so often that we stop noticing how much energy it drains from us. [...]
This In-Between Week
Good morning... As a kid, I remember the summer season starting Memorial Day weekend, as we finished the school year, and ending on Labor Day weekend, before we returned to school. Now as an adult, I wonder, "When does summer really begin?" Googling the question I learn a few new things. Actually, the summer season can be tracked through either astronomical or meteorological changes. The meteorological summer officially begins on Monday, June 1, [...]
Freedom Is Not Free
Good morning... Remembering the valor of the men and women who have served our country over the years, Ronald Reagan speaks our truth in the video below. "Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply, it has a cost." Wikipedia explains: "Valor generally refers to great courage, bravery, and strength of mind, especially in the face of danger or in battle. It combines physical bravery with moral integrity and noble purpose." [...]
Our 39th Anniversary
Good morning... Thirty-nine years ago, on Memorial Day weekend, Steve and I were married in my hometown of Berea, Ohio. This anniversary morning, we wake in Athens, Georgia, new grandparents to Charlie, who is a week and two days old. Our youngest daughter could not come to meet Charlie at the hospital, since she woke that day with a sore throat, so we rented a two-bedroom Airbnb for the weekend. Charlie met his [...]
Carry Light Into The Dark
Good morning... A line lingers from yesterday's post. "Looking out the window, we might ask: 'I’ve got to raise kids in this?'" Multiple wars. Gun violence. AI explosion. Financial worries. Racial injustice. Deadly disease. Deep deep division at home and abroad. God, I've got to raise kids in this? I met a poem this week which brings to life our strife. ******* "Of The Empire" by Mary Oliver We will be known as [...]
You Were Built For This
Good morning... Having heard that I just became a grandmother, a friend from Florida wrote: "Sue I am SO excited and happy for you!! Yay yay yay!! Just catching up on emails and overjoyed for your whole family!" She continued: "I love this Henry David Thoreau quote too: 'Every child begins the world again.' And the video below is both funny and encouraging - a reminder Charlie arrived exactly when he was meant [...]
One Lives. Another Dies.
Good morning... After four years of infertility and four miscarriages, this picture was taken just minutes after our first son Kyler was born thirty-one years ago. We see the blood, his gasp for breath, the total admiration in my face. Giving birth is risky, very very risky. Every time a baby is born, an awesome, terrifying miracle takes place. I am reminded of this truth as in the same week our daughter-in-law Chandler [...]
One Grandmother’s Loss
Good morning... "When a child is born, so is a grandmother," wrote a longtime friend when our first grandson arrived. I was thinking about this statement when I opened the following email. A regular reader wrote these touching words after our blog Nothing Like A Newborn. She gave me her permission to share her story with you. "Beautiful post and congratulations on Charlie," she wrote. "I am so happy for you and your [...]
Nothing Like A Newborn
Good morning... From all the loving texts and emails I have received since our first grandchild, Charlie, was born, one word of encouragement lingers. "How does the saying go?" a friend wrote. "There is nothing like a newborn to remind us that God has not given up on the human race. Charlie is the sweetest reminder. These are the sweetest days. So glad they live close by so you can soak them up." [...]