All Of Our Broken Pieces
Good morning... "Christ Holds It All Together" reads the heading above Colossians 1:15-20 in the Message translation. As we bullet point the wisdom of this lively section of Scripture, we begin to sense why the risen Christ is so essential to our entire existence. We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely [...]
Is The Tomb A Womb?
Good morning... In the dark of this night, I feel drawn to page 154 in one of my favorite books, When the Heart Waits, by Sue Monk Kidd. I return to the section entitled EASTERING. Midway through the next page I read: "My thoughts about Jesus waiting in the tomb for Easter began to blend with the thoughts I had during the week about the soul waiting in the womb for new birth. [...]
A Gift On Good Friday
Good morning... I brought two good friends with me to the Maundy Thursday service at Northside Church yesterday. After reading about Jesus serving his first communion at the Last Supper (Luke 22:14-23) and his painful struggle to surrender to the will of God in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-53), we were all invited to kneel at the welcoming communion table. The final scripture [...]
People Live With Cancer
Good morning... A friend's comment caused an important shift. "People do not die of cancer," she said. "People live with cancer." I suppose it is the same with Alzheimers, heart disease, and grief. With the moments we are given, might we ask, "God, how might I best live this day?" It was almost time for the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that it was time for him to leave this world and go back [...]
When Cancer Spreads
Good morning... In the middle of this droopy, drizzly night, I think back on the most meaningful two hours of this week. On Sunday night, Elizabeth, the 38-year-old daughter-in-law of our dear friend Joan, shared a really hard post, explaining that her colon cancer had spread. "Any chance you all can have lunch with Joan and I tomorrow?" a friend texted a handful of us after hearing the news. "She has requested each [...]
When Life Feels Clouded Over
Good morning... In the place where the full moon exists, I see only layers of clouds. Anticipating fullness of light, this night feels anticlimactic, a drooping disappointing. The soupy, grey sky mirrors our hearts as our hopes for a permanent solution, for lasting relief, for fullness of life feel clouded over. Prayers fall limp. High hopes feel dashed. Life goes on, but unexpectedly different. God's full moon still exists tonight. We just don't [...]
Without Our Dogs
Good morning... Without our dogs, I would miss so much. Finger-to-fur time. Companionship on walks. Eyes that melt the tensions of life. Adorable sleeping snores. The loud lapping of water. The funny habit of flipping and chasing food. A loving ear to lean on, always. Whole-bodied happiness as anyone walks in the door. Without our dogs, I would miss so much. Top on my list today is this: I would have missed my [...]
On My 61st Birthday
Good morning... On my 61st birthday, I wake to an empty home, two dogs, and one spring birthday doll. My husband is away in Nicaragua, checking out a possible location for his upcoming new adventure as travel director for Lovett Expeditions. One daughter is in a wedding in Nashville, Tennessee; the other daughter is visiting with college friends in Dallas, Texas. Our sons are in Athens, Georgia; one a graduating UGA senior, the [...]
Life’s Secret Is Simple
Good morning... In the middle of the night, I pull out the "blob tree" tree that I crafted during our therapeutic community group at PAWkids this week. I know there is violence on the corner of a distant branch. I know there is loneliness and isolation and despair. But, feeling like the purple person on the perch, I also know the absolute joy of authentic community. As often as I can, I try [...]
Let Beauty And Terror Happen
Good morning... As she read to me over the phone this poem by Ranier Maria Rilke, I calmed into my body in a very settled way. "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don't let yourself lose me." Embodying this whisper, everything is okay. I take God up on the offer, letting my hand be held. I keep [...]
The Luxury Of Sleep
Good morning... "God, thank You for allowing me to sleep through the night." This prayer fills me as I wake. Extended sleep is a rare occurrence for me, a listening nocturnal writer. "7:34," says my phone as I take my first peek. What a restorative luxury, this sleeping through the night. Now my prayers lift a protective covering over all who wake from a sleepless night. The hungry. The homeless. The hostages. Their [...]
Five Deaths And One Life
Good morning... Many have lost loved ones this week all over the globe, but personally I have been touched by five deaths and one life. "I shed a few tears on the way to work," my husband said after school last Monday. "Eric Carmen died over the weekend, and they were playing his songs in tribute. I used to listen to his albums all the time growing up." Born in Cleveland, Ohio near [...]