Finding Our Way Forward
Good morning... A few Fridays back, we gathered to mark the end of another magnificent semester of learning with God. Several of us met in person and the rest of us were bonded in Spirit from afar. All of us recognized, "There is so much to celebrate from this spring season together." To that end, we decided to make Soul Collage Cards together. We spread out random pictures from magazines (people, places, and [...]
What A Friendship We Have
Good morning... Each month we talk by phone for an hour - me in Atlanta, Georgia, she in Denver, Colorado. Our voices span the distance on all the important levels. Recently I read aloud to her a poem which reminds me of our God-given connection. ****** From Six Hours Away by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer From six hours away, she holds my hand. Tonight when my ship has no anchor, she meets me in [...]
Hope Is Our Superpower
Good morning... "We are coming off a whirlwind graduation weekend at UNC," texted a longtime friend earlier this week. "Bryan Stevenson was the keynote speaker, who was EXCELLENT! Given your recent experience with the museum in Montgomery, Alabama which he helped to start, I wanted to forward you his quote." Your hope is your superpower. Believe things you haven't seen. Believe you can do things you have never done before... Some of you [...]
Digging Up Deep Ugly Roots
Good morning... When my friend texted me her picture of sheep grazing in a gorgeous field on the back roads of France, I could not help but return to her my own sheep picture. "The photo of our borrowed sheep is not as stunning as yours," I admitted, "but I am learning so much about the tedious process of digging up deep, longstanding roots." I am [...]
Are You Overwhelmed By Highway Life?
Good morning... "Ah! So perfect! This one is for me!" she emailed me after yesterday's post, The Back Roads Of Your Self. "Up at 4:00 am because of jet lag after a wonderful month with my husband wandering the gorgeous back roads of France. Feeling so free then and now feeling a little overwhelmed by the highway life. And you bring me this gift of remembering I can live in peace and harmony [...]
The Back Roads Of Your Self
Good morning... "So keep this refuge in mind: the back roads of your self." This Marcus Aurelius quote visits me like an old friend. Traveling the highway is rush hour, heavy traffic, efficiently direct. Exploring the back roads is slow moments, uplifting alone-time, freedom to meander. On the back roads of ourselves, God whispers through our rolled down windows. "I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see [...]
I Am Where I Need To Be
Good morning... For the first time, I notice something that has likely been there all along. At the end of my friend's email, below her name, title, and business, rests a short quote by Mary Mrozowski. "I am where I need to be. Everything around me includes and hides the sacred." How freeing it would be to live each second of every day in total trust: "I am where I need to be." [...]
When Depression Creeps In
Good morning... Amid this time of year with graduations, weddings, and special days dedicated to mothers and fathers, depression can creep in for some of us who feel depleted and disconnected, with high hopes and deep dreams derailed. I just read the obituary for Libby Wood, with this challenging sentence: "Sadly, she lost her battle with depression on Tuesday, May 2, 2023." This weekend, Libby's four-year-old grandson unexpectedly joined her in heaven after [...]
Almost A Mother-In-Law
Good morning... This Mother's Day weekend, I realize that in 112 days I will be a mother-in-law. I am excited to let down my hair and be openly receptive to all the intimate ways I will be touched by our new daughter, Chandler. Chandler works for Earl Grey Floral in Austin, Texas and has been asked by her boss, Amy, to franchise the business to Athens, Georgia where she and our oldest son, [...]
Watching Our Son Grow
Good morning... This Mother's Day week, I marvel at the way God is growing our youngest son. Finishing strong his junior year at the University of Georgia, Jeremiah has grown in some very significant ways. Initiative. Motivation. Expanding an idea outside the traditional box. After doing various odd jobs over the past several summers and removing Christmas trees annually in the winter, Jeremiah has honed in on his favorite hardworking handyman job: pressure [...]
The Line Between Good And Evil
Good morning... There are separating lines between us. From all sides, opposing forces jockey for power. Good and evil. Left and right. For and against. Us and them. Seen and unseen. Opposing forces exist also within, as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn illuminates. “Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart—and through all human [...]
From Both Sides Of The Fence
Good morning... Because all the green leaves have been nibbled from our ivy, now our ten borrowed sheep pull up and eat the thick brown vines in our back yard. It's been fascinating to watch these creatures eat, eat, and eat some more, eighteen hours a day they say. The sheep have learned to come to my gentle voice. I look them in the eye and rub the coarse fur on their nose [...]