Grief Strips Us Naked
Good morning... On Friday night I enjoyed quality time with a friend whose husband died eight weeks ago, then on Saturday morning I walked and talked with a friend whose husband died about eight years ago. Between these two soul-filling conversations, I crafted our early morning message When Our Nest Feels Empty. Our message concluded, "As we tenderly remember those who have shared their lives and left our sight, holding emptiness can be [...]
When Our Nest Feels Empty
Good morning... On this All Saints' Day weekend, when we honor the lives of those who have left earth for heaven, I sat on the back porch of a friend whose husband passed away eight weeks ago. We marveled at how quickly time has passed and how slowly, surely God's peaceful strength has built a home within her. Amid our conversation I said, "There's a poem I want to share." Instead of sending [...]
People Are Like Trees
Good morning... Last week in our therapeutic community group, we took a walk down the block to notice the various autumn trees. Black. White. Young. Old. Together as a diverse group we discussed the reading below. Think about it. Really think about it. In your mind's eye, what difficult person might you to turn into a tree right now? Appreciation changes everything. Accepting "as is" the uniqueness of each [...]
We Wake In A Dark World
Good morning... "Loving your offerings!" wrote an old friend after yesterday's post Our Little Oil Lamp. "We are in Jerusalem and heading to the Old Jerusalem shortly. I have seen replicas of these little oil lamps and it makes me smile to read your morning sharing!" Soon after came the voice of another friend over the phone. "The darkness of the world is so strong right now," she said from states away. "Newspaper. [...]
Our Little Oil Lamp
Good morning... Monday morning's drizzle drenched our outdoor furniture, so our afternoon class was drawn inside. Our intimate circle of women savored a life-giving conversation, reading these words aloud from page 43 of Simple Faith by Margaret Silf. ****** Turning Contemplation into Action I have a little oil lamp that a friend gave me, and it's a constant reminder to me that a life of faith involves both contemplation and action. The oil [...]
Amid These Trying Times
Good morning... "The universe is wider than our view of it," reminds Henry David Thoreau. As my friend struggles to come to terms with a difficult diagnosis, she regularly takes time away to release her fear, her worry, her "What if?" Creating quiet spaces of waiting, wishing, wondering, my friend rests in widening pockets of God's enduring joy. With me, she shares these words to describe her expanding experience. ****** Excerpt from Unmarked [...]
Everyone Must Decide
Happy Halloween! "Everyone must decide," said Martin Luther King Jr., "whether to walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness." "To be a person of faith is to make a choice to center one's life around the deeper center of gravity we call God, and the greater good of all creation, rather than primarily around one's personal gain and benefit," writes Margaret Silf in Simple Faith. "It [...]
Not Good News
Good morning... "Not good news," I was saddened by my friend's text. "The cancer is in her spine, hip, lymph nodes, base of her skull. I'm not sure where we go from here. Marleigh's spirits are good. I'm still taking it day by day. I fall apart when I get ahead of myself. I love you and am so grateful for your friendship." This week, people across the globe had prayed boldly for [...]
We Enjoy Community
Good morning... On Wednesday evening, a group of nearly one hundred of us gathered at PAWkids to celebrate the life of 7-year-old Hailey Harris who died in a house fire along with her grandmother and two aunts. The 5:00 pm balloon launch in Hailey's honor actually happened around 6:00 pm, followed by grilled hot dogs and fixings, sidewalk chalk and fun music, great joy intermingling with such deep sadness. Spurred by the Spirit, [...]
Celebrating A 7-Year-Old
Good morning... It was not a normal Wednesday afternoon. We moved our arts and crafts activities into the portable classroom so the PAWkids staff could set up for the special gathering outside. We learned all about last week's Homecoming dance. We helped kids make Halloween bracelets with a pumpkin charm. We allowed each child to create their own pieces of art with paper and markers, stencils and stickers. The joy was palpable and [...]
A Deadly House Fire
Good morning... After our therapeutic community group yesterday, I spent quality time with Larenzia Lawrence, the daughter of LaTonya Gates, who is the founder and director of PAWkids, a non-profit supporting the neediest families in downtown Atlanta. Larenzia and I are pictured above. Last Wednesday tragedy struck the family of Larenzia's childhood best friend as a fire ripped through her home, killing her mother, her seven year old daughter, and two of her [...]
Fighting Breast Cancer Together
Good morning... Most of us have heard that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but the fight became deeply personal for me when I received a text from a friend on October 12th at 7:34 am. "Thank you for your message this morning, Courage Is Rekindled," she wrote. "God spoke to me through you in a mighty way! It wasn't even your message for today, but when I opened my emails, that was [...]