Good morning... On this hazy Saturday morning, my husband and I debriefed from yesterday over coffee. Much like we did during our long season of parenting four active kids born six years apart, we needed to divide and conquer to cover our important Friday commitments. Steve went to the memorial service of Sarah French while I went to [...]
Good morning... "Sarah Patterson French of Atlanta, Georgia was a devoted mother, dependable friend, and loving wife," begins her obituary. Surrounded by her family who loved her dearly, she passed away on October 23, 2022, at the age of 50, following a short but valiant fight against cancer." "Sarah's primary and most loved role was mother to her [...]
Good morning... At 4:18 am she emailed me after reading our post Grief Strips Us Naked. "Sue," she wrote. "These are wonderful passages spoken by those whose grief walked them to new understanding. In a few hours, at dawn‘s break, we will say goodbye to our brown eyed girl, our 13 year old lab. As a part of [...]
Good morning... The first two emails I receive today whisper to my soul, "Wholeness is happening." One email looks outside; the other looks inside. Over time, I sense the two merging and multiplying. The photo above came from the country of Norway, which for me in Atlanta, Georgia is the far side of the globe. "These days the [...]
Good morning... As I walked our dogs after dinner last night, the moon was full and fantastic. On the eve of the midterm elections in the United States, a phrase from a Scripture verse rose up in me as I walked in the glow of the big balloon moon: "For to us a child is born, to us [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
