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 [...]
Grief Happens. Mourning Is A Choice.
Good morning... Up in the middle of the night, I prepare to facilitate a four-week study of Ron Greer's new book, The Quiet House. Reading slowly, I savor Ron's first six reflections on the loss of a spouse. Real. Gentle. Nurturing and authentic. Enjoying each word, I sense God's presence. I have often said, "If God had a voice, it would be Ron Greer's." Deep. Strong. Soothing and supportive. Ron has been a [...]
Scott’s Zesty Funeral
Good morning... In these early morning hours, I pull out the bulletin from Scott's celebration service. Out fall the eight small pages of notes I took during the zesty tribute. Reading through my scribblings again, the unique flavor of Scott's vibrant life comes back in full force. Scott's two brothers and a handful of friends spoke alongside our minister, each highlighting different facets of his well lived life. Laughter and tears flowed freely, [...]
Grieving The Loss Of Scott
Good morning... We wake on the day that Scott's body will be laid to rest. As his obituary so beautifully reveals, he loved so very well. His amazing wife, his two young kids, his extended family, his many friends, his church, his work, Scott loved so very, very well. Basking in the sunshine streaming into our church, I made four Wordless Prayer Cards in our class yesterday. A card for his wife, his [...]
We Are Part Of This Miracle
Good morning... Waking in the middle of the night, I turn on a single lamp, strike a match and light a melting candle. As I let the dogs out briefly to do their thing, our thermostat reads "18," which is bitter cold for Atlanta. My heart turns to those who are homeless, in our city and other cities facing even more challenging conditions, homeless people trying to sleep outside at this very moment. [...]
Treading Into The Unknown
Good morning... Facing hard medical issues. Grieving deep, deep loss. Hearing rumors of war at home and abroad. Tasting, touching, smelling uncertainty. Exhausted by the worry of "What's next?" As we tread into the unknown ahead, what is our safest way to step-by-step forward? A friend sent me a story, a story which sheds just enough light for our unsettled feet to see. Let's slowly read it once. Then read it again. What [...]
Steadying Our Restless Souls
Good morning... He slipped these handwritten words into my mailbox, then followed up by text. "Sue, as we wake on what would have been the 95th birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., I wanted to share one of my favorite quotes from Dr. King: 'Everyone must decide whether to walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.' Elegant simplicity - we all have a choice. If only [...]
Gonna Be Alright
Good morning... "Someone sent me this yesterday morning," she texted. "Loved listening to it on my way to chemo." I hope many of us will love listening to this song on our way through fear, through pain, through deep, life-changing loss. And now, dear friends, may the Lord of peace Himself grace you with peace always and in everything. May the Lord be present with all of you (2 Thessalonians 3:16, VOICE). ...Sue... [...]
As The World Wages War
Good morning... Yesterday morning, I made a mistake. I dated our blog post January 11, 2023. Not 2024. I would have missed the error, except that I pushed the "Previous" button at the top of the page and this is the old message that promptly popped up. _______________________________________________________ I Want That by Sue Allen, January 11, 2023 Good morning… I happened upon a book and felt [...]