Nuclear Bomb Of Depression
Good morning... Last week in class, we read aloud much of my favorite chapter in Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak. In a chapter entitled All the Way Down, Parker unpacks the most life-giving description of depression I have ever experienced. I posted some of his words yesterday in our blog Befriending Our Depression. Today, I feel drawn to share more. ******* Excerpt from page 52-53 in Let Your Life Speak by Parker [...]
Befriending Our Depression
Good morning... "After hours of careful listening, my therapist offered an image that helped me eventually reclaim my life," writes Parker Palmer on page 50 of Let Your Life Speak. "You seem to look upon depression as the hand of an enemy trying to crush you," he said. "Do you think you could see it instead as the hand of a friend, pressing you down to ground on which it is safe to [...]
Yes. Walk In The Woods
Good morning... This short poem reminds me of two things. A recent walk in the woods with a dear friend. The final line from the obituary of our friend Tom McLain: "...carry on Tom's legacy: say yes to everything!" ****** "Yes, That’s When" by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer I like my body when I’m in the woods and I forget my body. I forget that arms, that legs, that nose. I forget that waist, [...]
Look Up. Smile. Thank.
Good morning... As we wake on this early spring morning, how have you seen God at work this week? Look up. Smile. Thank. Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him (Colossians 2:7, NLV). ...Sue... Respond to Sue privately. [...]
Eliza On The Rally Runway
Good morning... Tonight is a very special night for four-year-old Eliza. In front of an adoring crowd, she will walk the Rally Foundation Runway at the Georgia Aquarium. The Rally Foundation exists to fund the most promising research in the treatment of childhood cancers. "Eliza has requested that we all wear pink," said her grandmother, Cathy, who is a beloved member of our Wednesday afternoon class. I asked that Cathy resend the link [...]
All Supplies Are Included
Good morning... During our final spiritual growth group of the semester, we opened our sacred time together by reading aloud the prayer of St. Francis. One woman was drawn to the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, "What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies within you." Then with our hour of silent solitude, she chose to create two [...]
Be An Instrument Of Peace
Good morning... Ironically this same tongue can be both an instrument of blessing to our Lord and Father and a weapon that hurls curses upon others who are created in God’s own image (James 3:9, VOICE). Today, will our tongue be an instrument of God's peace or a weapon of the warring world? Hatred exists. Heap hate or sow love. Injury happens. Injure back or offer pardon. Doubt persists. Fan doubt or grow [...]
Joy Of Hands-On Helping
Good morning... "This photo popped up this morning," wrote Jennifer DeShetler yesterday. "This is what I was thinking of when I shared the cake kits for needy families. Audrey made her brother's birthday cake every year. This photo was taken when she was 8 years old (12 years ago)." "Wow!" I replied. "What a picture of loving kindness. This goes right along with the birthday cake boxes we are sharing with those who [...]
Trilliums And Tom McLain
Good morning... "Hi, Sue," my friend Vilda wrote after our post entitled Spring Wears A Green Jacket. "Did you know those green shoots pushing through the decayed log and ground are Trilliums — an endangered wild flower? Our farm is named Trillium Springs because we moved one single Trillium from our back yard in Atlanta to the farm in October 1998. In April, 1999, my husband called me away from writing a paper [...]
Spring Wears A Green Jacket
Good morning... Bursting on bare branches and decorating brown decay, vibrant green is everywhere! After weeks of thick yellow pollen and before the return of those pesky mosquitos, this weekend is perfectly positioned to exude joy and new life. Amidst blooming azaleas, towering pines and flowering dogwoods, the first full week of April always ushers in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. To round out the experience, the [...]
During Our MEAN Time
Good morning... Many of us admire the raw honesty shared by Savannah Guthrie in her Easter message to the world, a message highlighted in yesterday's blog, Savannah's Deep Sorrow. Following the unsolved abduction of her 84-year-old mother, Savannah is waiting in the MEAN time of not knowing, not understanding, not having the answers she craves. "Wow, wow, wow!" one loyal reader wrote after our post. "I pray that Savannah's message might lead many [...]
Savannah’s Deep Sorrow
Good morning... We all have been horrified at the mysterious abduction of Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother, Nancy. On Easter morning, Savannah, co-host of the NBC's Today show, posted a gut-wrenching message expressing her deep sorrow and her unwavering belief. Suspended in uncertainty, her excruciating "not knowing" connects her to the utter darkness experienced by Jesus. ...Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, [...]