A Murder And A Suicide
Good morning... My prayers are sent forth to the families and friends of the two young people who died this week at the University of Georgia. A young woman was murdered while on a run in a familiar area and a young man hung himself in a freshman dorm. Classes were canceled yesterday as the whole community processes fear, shock, grief. God, I don't know how You might bring healing out of all [...]
Our Personal Transformation
Good morning... "The essence of Christian spirituality is following Christ on a journey of personal transformation," explains David G. Benner in Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction. "The distant land to which we are called . . . is the new creature into which Christ wishes to fashion us - the whole and holy person that finds his or her uniqueness, identity and calling in Christ." If you have heard [...]
We Are Created For Oneness
Good morning... The waxing moon, three nights before full, casts a funky design on our bathroom floor, and moonlight paints cool shadows all over our living room walls. Beckoned barefoot out into the mild night, I marvel at the dark branches stretching toward the light of the moon. "If God's created world peacefully embodies light and dark, night [...]
A Gift For Our Mothers
Good morning... "It is a blessing to still have our mothers," a friend wrote after visiting her mom for her 86th birthday. I just returned home from Ohio after a successful surgery for my own 85-year-old mom. "Praise the Lord for good news about your mom's surgery, Sue!" wrote another dear friend. "Speaking of moms and the special place they have in our lives, I think you would like [...]
My Mom’s Surgery Day
Good morning... I loved overhearing my parents' conversation in the kitchen as I got ready in the living room for my mom's surgery day. "Well, I had my first surgery on Labor Day and now hopefully my last reversal surgery on President's Day," astutely said my 85-year-old mom. "You can tell I was a kindergarten teacher, always moving from holiday to holiday." "Without holidays, what would a kindergarten teacher do?" laughed my dad. [...]
A White Feather From Heaven
Good morning... "Another minute. Another day. Year after year. Life lives through us. What an incredible gift." I had just finished reading these final words from our Saturday morning blog post, We Live Through Death. The message shared a moving poem by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer entitled Still Here. Suddenly, I felt a prick on my left arm, and, looking down, I saw this small white feather. I smiled at the mysterious creativity of [...]
We Live Through Death
Good morning... We live through death. The death of a dream. The death of a special someone. The death of a life phase we so dearly loved. After the death of her son to suicide, Rosemerry tenderly expresses how it feels to still be here. ****** Still Here by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer After I did not die the first minute, I lived the next minute. More truly, life lived me. More truly, the [...]
We Have Been Here Before
Good morning... In the presence of God, we have been here before. In the beginning, God created everything: the heavens above and the earth below. Here’s what happened: At first the earth lacked shape and was totally empty, and a dark fog draped over the deep while God’s spirit-wind hovered over the surface of the empty waters. Then there was the voice of God. God said, "Let there be light." And light flashed into being. God saw that the light was beautiful and good, and He separated the [...]
Did I Suck As A Teacher?
Good morning... This Monday was different. I was asked to teach a three-part series on the Enneagram for the St. Clare's Guild of women at the Cathedral of St. Philips in February, March, and April. Monday was our first class, so I put the unfamiliar church address in Waze to gather with an unknown number of mostly unfamiliar people. I was out of my comfort zone. I usually teach small groups of about [...]
Valentines For Surgeons, Nurses, Donors
Good morning... I discovered a poem which means more to me this Valentine's Day than ever before. With my mom's surgeries and hospital stays, with our friend's successful heart transplant, and with the grueling medical treatments endured by so many loved ones this year, I have marveled at the gentle care given by skilled professionals. For all of those who work tirelessly to enhance our quality of life, this precious poem expresses the [...]
We Are On A Journey
Good morning... We are on a journey. "It's a journey that includes paying attention to yourself over a period of time, being curious about your reactions to situations, and reflecting on your inner world," encourages Marilyn Vancil on page 48 of Self to Lose, Self to Find; Using the Enneagram to Uncover Your True, God-Gifted Self. "It is, most importantly, listening to the inner still voice that informs you at a deep level [...]
I Need You To Breathe
Good morning... Amid a wild, windy thunderstorm in the middle of this dark night, I am drawn back to a poem I met yesterday about a different kind of hurricane. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.” Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said (John 20:21-22, MSG). As we are [...]