A Gem Of A Story
Good morning... Our brief group text led me to a gem of a story. "I like your blog about fear today, Sue," a dear friend wrote after yesterday's post, Don't Be Scared Of Tomorrow. "Me too," another friend chimed in. "Sean of the South was a tear jerker too." I love the work of Sean Dietrich, a writer who shares his stories, insights, and observations from real life experiences. So I googled "Sean [...]
Don’t Be Scared Of Tomorrow
Good morning... Her blog post was sobering, surrendering, soul-touching. Sifting through a pile of powerful words, she unleashed life-giving song lyrics, "Don't waste today being scared of tomorrow." ****** Excerpt from Elizabeth's PostHope blog post, February 1, 2024 Too much heaviness. Too much weight. Too much pain. Too much fear. Too much wondering. Too much waiting. Too much worry. Too much dark. Too much cancer. Too much chemo. Too many needles. Too many [...]
“Spirit, Use Me Today.”
Good morning... I met a humble, hopeful prayer. ****** P R AY E R by Grahame Davies Spirit, use me today, not in some miracle that would make others marvel and would make me proud. Not in the word of wisdom that would stay in the mind and make me always remembered. Not in the heroic act that would change the world for the better and me for the worse. But in the [...]
Look What I Saw
Good morning... I slowly walked in silence on a damp, dreary day. Mysteriously mirroring the wider world, everything around felt muddy, muted, mournful. As I continued my silent stroll, I noticed a unique, yellow tree. Amid the gray decay, it felt like my burning bush. Much like Moses, I thought, “I’ll go over and see this strange sight" (Exodus 3:3a, NIRV). Stepping closer, [...]
If You’re Exhausted, Rest.
Good morning... "For today, and all days needed," she texted me this poem. ****** LET YOURSELF REST If you’re exhausted, rest. If you don’t feel like starting a new project, don’t. If you don’t feel the urge to make something new, just rest in the beauty of the old, the familiar, the known. If you don’t feel like talking, stay silent. If you’re fed up with the news, turn it off. If you [...]
This C.S. Lewis Quote
Good morning... We began our semester unpacking the deep meaning of this C.S. Lewis quote at the beginning of our book, Self to Lose, Self to Find; Using the Enneagram to Uncover Your True, God-Gifted Self by Marilyn Vancil. "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people you and I were intended to be... [...]
In Seasons Of Harder Things
Good morning... I visit the moon again tonight, one day past full. Into the thick, soupy clouds the light is slowly draining. In these dark, wee hours, I feel drawn to revisit an email I received from a friend in Jacksonville yesterday. "Good morning Sue," she wrote. "I was outside with the dog when I noticed this large pink moon rising over downtown! (Abby!) It was so peaceful watching it rise and change [...]
We Forget Sometimes
Good morning... "Looking forward to what this new year holds," I wrote to end my text. "I am as well..." she replied from California. "Full moon tonight out here and clear skies with loads of stars. Easy to be in awe of the power of the Spirit and God's plan with this sky." "We forget sometimes," she added. Myself? I had forgotten about tonight's full moon. Earlier in the week, I had remember [...]
Feeling Down And Out
Good morning... This week in our therapeutic community group at PAWkids, we were encouraged to pick a handful of cards, cards that somehow share our story. The five cards above are the cards I felt drawn to choose, arranging them just so. Take a moment. Really look. Now let's feel our way forward, down and out. Pondering the cards horizontally, from left to right, I see myself. When I feel like this frantic, [...]
I Was Spiraling Down
Good morning... Multi-tasking mightily, I had forgotten to attend an important meeting. Jolted awake from sleep, my glaring mistake dawned on me. I swiftly began beating myself up. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I so hate my imperfections. My spirit was drooping, and I was spiraling down. I process myself best by journalling, so I jumped out of bed and I plopped onto the couch. I needed to write in the middle of the dark [...]
It Is Happening
Good morning... Again, I wake around 1:00 am. The darkness looks so different in this quiet moment. Pictured in our blog post, stripes of light were shining on our bathroom floor and tub at this time yesterday. Now, exactly twenty-four hours later, the only natural form of light is hiding outside our window. With photos taken at the exact same time, one night apart, the contrast intrigues me. Might light in darkness be [...]
We Long For Light In Our Darkness
Good morning... When I wake around 1:00 am, I notice stripes of light resting on our bathroom floor and tub. With natural light silently breaking through the shutters of a nearby window, I think to myself, "The moon must be filling up with light." Our little dog Gracie takes me out often in the middle of the night to empty her tiny bladder. We step out into the chilly dark. Above our neighborhood [...]