Light On The Longest Night
Good morning... In the earth's Northern hemisphere, tonight is the winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice. The winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year. At dawn, we will wake up into the first official day of winter. I happen upon a poem to shed light on this special night. Then, after sharing an empowering Bible verse, I will share a cool video [...]
Tonight’s Winter Solstice
Good morning... After Saturday's post, One Dynamic Daughter, any of you asked the same question, "How do we order these adorable "Audrey's Angels"? I reached out to my friend Jennifer, Audrey's mom, and here is her reply. "This is so exciting!" Jennifer quickly responded. "Thank you so much for writing this blog about 'Audrey's Angels." I was at the Preschool Gift Show this morning and two ladies came to buy specifically because of Sue’s blog. [...]
Obsessing About My Flaws
Good morning... I did stuff I shouldn't have done. I didn't do everything I should have. I'm up tonight, obsessing about "things I've done and things I've left undone." This phrase - "things I've done and things I've left undone" - this phrase shaped my mind as a child as, by rote, I recited it each Sunday as part of our Lutheran liturgy. With some of the things I've done, I feel really [...]
Betty Skinner’s Work Expands
Good morning... How wonderful it was to receive an email yesterday from my friend Kitty Crenshaw, co-author of the book The Hidden Life Awakened, creator and keeper of the website hosting the wisdom of Christian mystic Betty Skinner. Since the spring of 2007, my life has been intimately shaped by Betty's uphill climb through the valley of debilitating depression to the mountaintop of healed wholeness with God. Below is a personal invitation extended [...]
One Day At A Time
Good morning... My 86 year old mom has endured a series of falls, several surgeries, and nearly three years of slow recovery. One thing she loves is cards, cards that make her laugh. Freely displaying these clever treasures all around their villa, she is surrounded by tangible symbols of the lasting love of family and friends. This is one of the cards I love the most. [...]
Being With Aging Parents
Good morning... With my parents in the performance of the Holiday Choir at their senior living community, this was a good long weekend to come to Ohio for a visit. Sunday was a full day. Church. Kiwanis pancake breakfast with Santa and our extended family. Creating their Christmas card. Getting out ornaments for their live tree. Quality time with my brother and sister, catching up, sharing dinner, giving our parents a photo calendar [...]
Don’t Worry About Spills
Good morning... "I want to share this tune written by my nephew, which was released yesterday," a friend wrote on Saturday. "He's a father of three neat kids (15, 17, 20) and recently divorced. He's reflecting on his hope that his kids know that the time they spend together outweighs any of the mundane daily 'stuff.' Definitely comes from deep in his heart." "I absolutely love this," I wrote back. "I am listening [...]
Christmas In A Prison Cell
Good morning... Like light seeping into the chilly winter dark, God finds a way to find us where we are. "Sue," a friend wrote, "I too have been drawn to Bonhoeffer in the last week. His little book, God Is In the Manger, has some of his Christmas sermons." Then she shared a portion of Bonheoffer’s Christmas letter from the Tegel prison to his parents Karl and Paula Bonhoeffer on December 17, 1943. [...]
An Unexpected Arrival
Good morning... The notification of her Gratitude Gift unexpectedly arrived. "Thank you for all the wisdom you have shared all these years!" she added in her note. "Beautiful! Merry Christmas!" Her kind gift spurred me to remind you that, in order to bring to you our free daily blog, we depend on your financial support. If you feel nudged by the Spirit, please consider offering a Gratitude Gift to help offset the costs [...]
Audrey’s Strong Faith
Good morning... Yesterday my friend and I went to see the movie Bonhoeffer. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, a theologian, and an anti-Nazi dissident who was executed by the Nazis in 1945 just two weeks before the war ended. Chronicled in his many books and expressed in his heroic actions, Bonhoeffer's life of faith was extraordinary. On our car ride home, my friend asked, "In your lifetime, who is a person [...]
Head Injury Victim
Good morning... I'm not very good at big parties, since small talk is not my forte. So when my old friend's annual Christmas cookie party rolls around, I walk in through the familiar back door with internal questions swirling. "Who will I talk with?" "Will I anxiety-eat too much?" "Might I just drink sparkling water?" Last night began similarly and ended quite differently. After meandering through the rooms and catching up with people [...]
This Is Our Happy Place
Good morning... In the photo above, the words on the wall say it all. "This is our happy place." The generosity of people in our community astounds me. Bags of donated items for our annual Secret Santa shop for the PAWkids after-school program appeared at our doorstep all weekend long. I felt the holy privilege of touching each treasure, sorting and organizing all the items, and experiencing the love of God expressed freely [...]