Good morning... Picking up medicine at the CVS pharmacy, I passed by the notebook aisle and saw the journal above. "Start by Starting," encouraged the cover. I felt drawn to it, the nudging words, the golden rings, the waves of pink, peach, purple. I picked it up and tacked it onto my purchase. I didn't think another thing [...]
Good morning... "I just feel disconnected," she said as we walked and talked. She recently buried a beloved family member, her dear dog passed away, and, like many of us over these COVID holidays, she has lost the ability to safely gather with extended family and large groups of fun friends. Cut off from many of her dependable [...]
Good morning... This morning, I have the privilege of taping a podcast on grief with nurse practitioner, Ginna MacFarling, and Northside Church's Director of Adult Discipleship, James Johnson. Having walked beside many through the grieving process, twice Ginna has helped to lead our well-loved six-week series, "Living Fully - Dying Well." Preparing for our podcast, Ginna gathered some [...]
Good morning... Many of you in our online community have enjoyed the chapel services created by my husband, Steve, who is the chaplain at a local high school. Usually the Upper School students cram into a packed chapel and experience a weekly service in person, but COVID has limited large gatherings indoors. Instead Steve records his weekly faith [...]
Good morning... I didn't say a thing aloud, but my heart was crying out to God, shedding quiet tears, sharing the anguished lament of loved ones, hoping with all my heart, soul, and mind for the complete healing of a young woman about to undergo surgery for brain cancer. She and her young husband were separated in different [...]
Good morning... Over Thanksgiving our oldest son said, "Mom, I'm reading this book I think you'd really like." So I opened the beautifully textured hard cover and cozied up to read a few chapters. Here is one quote that taught me more deeply why Jesus coming to earth matters profoundly. The living presence of our loving Lord might [...]
Good morning... The Spirit's synchronicity astounds me. Many, many of us related to yesterday's post My Inner Critic. It seems I'm not the only one prone to critical comparison, sometimes judging myself as less, unworthy, unimportant. But look at the text I received after yesterday's blog. "Hey dear friend," she wrote from another town. "I thought your posting [...]
Good morning... "Thought this was rather lovely," she texted me yesterday morning. "Wanted to share it with you." I touched on the link below and thoroughly enjoyed the captivating experience. Cozy candles. Meditative music. Soothing scripture. At the same time, I noticed my inner critic rising up with a vengeance, "Why do you even do a measly morning [...]
Good morning... "First snow day of the season!" my sister texted the picture above from her small town in Ohio. As kids growing up in a suburb of Cleveland, we absolutely loved snow days off from school. "Oh how gorgeous," I replied. "We had minuscule specks of snow blowing in the air yesterday. Your beautiful snow photo provides [...]
Good morning... "It’s Advent, which usually means a season of hope," my husband wrote yesterday in his chaplain message for Lovett School subscribers. "Unfortunately, this has been a tough year for hope. It’s been difficult to feel the certainty of a better future when 2020 seems to be stuck in a pattern of bad news followed by more [...]
