A Little Light In Our Dark
Good morning... Look. A little light shines in the dark of this night. Just enough light sets a single blanket aglow, on the back of a chair beams one simple throw. How this happens, God, I don't know. I don't know, but I do notice. After snapping the photo of this perfect patch of light, I open an email and admire a single sentence. Prompted by the life and writings of Thomas Merton, [...]
May Speeds Too Fast
Good morning... May speeds way too fast. Extra commitments. Final gatherings. Parties, performances, end-of-school-year stuff. As we slowed down to sit on her screened-in back porch, we unpacked a quote from Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. "To say how little, not how much, can I get along with. To say - is it necessary? - when I am tempted to add [...]
Wisdom From Elizabeth
Good morning... On Tuesday morning, a friend sent me this quote from Elizabeth Alexander. This Elizabeth Alexander is a poet and essayist, a teacher and playwright who was born in Harlem, New York. Wikipedia explains, "Previously, Alexander was a professor for 15 years at Yale University, where she taught poetry and chaired the African American studies department. In 2015, she was appointed director of creativity and free expression at the Ford Foundation. She [...]
Grace To Face Life’s Mysteries
Good morning... I open up this precious card to read these handwritten words: "Dear Sue, I found these cards at the bottom of the mailing box that your wooden hands came in. I'm sorry they were overlooked! Thank you also for another wonderful semester of learning and loving with you." Similar to the original "surrender" card, which I have shared in the past few posts, I find four square cards, each with a [...]
Unclench My Fists
Good morning... She emailed me after yesterday's post, It's Okay Not To Be Okay. "Upon waking today, holding tight on the 3rd anniversary of my husband’s death," she wrote, "I read your message with the open hands. Then, lo and behold, Henri Nouwen is telling me to unclench my fists and let love enter. I pray with open hands to let God’s love enter." ****** DAILY MEDITATION | APRIL 30, 2024 - A [...]
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
Good morning... I woke to the gift of a beautiful text yesterday. A friend in our Monday afternoon group shared the link to her daughter's telling of their family's grief journey. Listening to her vulnerable story was so life-giving to me, so I asked, "Might I share this link with others?" "Of course," she replied. "Our family has learned the value of being an open book." "What an amazingly healing way to live," [...]
Are My Feelings Normal?
Good morning... I brought home this interesting page of facts from our therapeutic community group at PAWkids last week. YOU'RE HUMAN It's normal to... ....be sad from time to time for no reason. ...not have everything together. ...feel unsure, confused, or not to know. ...feel ugly some days and cute other days. ...have been unprepared for how things turned out. ...have tough days. ...not always be happy. ...fluctuate in weight. ...be more productive [...]
We Tap Infinite Love
Good morning... "I miss Steve's beautiful words," she responded after yesterday's post, Steve Shares Our Strife. "Thank you for sharing his inspirational thoughts here. This reminds me of a little prayer from Richard Rohr, 'God, help us to love in some small way what you love infinitely.'" "Such wisdom," I replied. "We alone cannot muster love, but, in our surrendered state, we can allow God to love through us in infinite ways." Might [...]
Steve Shares Our Strife
Good morning... When I browse the chaplain's message below, written by my husband Steve, I vividly remember the story of strife he shares from our younger years. Now as I look at the unrest on college campuses and intense conflicts at home and abroad, I wonder along with Steve, "Why does God allow us to wrestle, fight and terrorize one another?" ****** Chaplain's Devotional from April 22nd, by Steve Allen • 1 John [...]
An Incredibly Nurturing Luxury
Good morning... I wake in the middle of this night with one word on my mind: retreat. As I am drawn to explore the word on Dictionary.com, I notice that, as a noun, retreat means "a place of refuge, seclusion, privacy." I see that as a verb, retreat means "the act of withdrawing, as into safety, privacy, seclusion." As a place (noun) of experience (verb), I think of Ignatius House Retreat Center, a [...]
Steve Big Adventure
Good morning... In the guiding light of this Passover full moon, we sift through many layers of experience. Tonight my husband Steve and I shared a decade changing birthday celebration with one of the men who went on our Israel 2023 trip. A few people from our group shared in this special evening. The life-changing experience of traveling together - learning, growing, bonding - will forever shape us all in profound and lasting [...]
Wow! What A Gift
Good morning... "Woke to your 'Be Fluent In Blooming' blog," she texted yesterday at 3:51 am. "I'm in the Netherlands seeing the tulips fluently blooming." "Wow! What a gift," I replied. "Each of these photos is a masterpiece." "I just saw the awesomeness of God everywhere!" she gushed. "These were taken at or near Keukenhof Gardens outside of Amsterdam. [...]