Good morning... "There is a difference between being driven and being drawn," she said at the end of yesterday's phone conversation. Intrigued by the crossroads of these two words, I jotted her concluding statement in my journal, returning to her wisdom when I woke around 2:00 am. Around 3:30 am, I climbed back into bed, sensing God's message [...]
Good morning... Last Monday's post set off a creative chorus of responses. Our post, A Little Boy's T-Shirt, ended with an invitation. "If the joy of the LORD is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10), what song lyrics well up in your brain when strong emotions get all steamed up? P.S. If you feel compelled, send me your brain’s knee-jerk reaction and [...]
Good morning... We all have founding fathers, generations of grandfathers, and some of us have beloved fathers at home in heaven, at home right now, feasting with our Heavenly Father as we celebrate this special day set aside for dads. Out of sight but in our minds, how will we celebrate the legacy of our loved ones this [...]
Good morning... My husband, Rev. Steve Allen, shared a life-giving message during Tuesday's memorial service, honoring another deeply missed dad in our close-knit community. Steve chose to read what seemed like an "odd" Scripture for a funeral, at first glance. Aloud he read: Jesus said to one who had invited him to a dinner, "When you give a luncheon, [...]
Good morning... Before J Schroeder died, he taught people how to live. Stepping up to the microphone at his memorial service, his deeply loved wife described J as "a force of nature," admitting "Everyone wanted to be in his orbit." Grateful for joy-filled years together, she said, "I am so glad he chose me." After sharing bonding stories, [...]
Good morning... At Tuesday's memorial service, two dearly loved daughters stepped up to the microphone. One recounted a string of incredible memories of a passionate dad who held nothing back, loving freely and fully, each day of his life. The other daughter read aloud the following poem, allowing us all to feel the power of deep love living [...]
Good morning... "Sad songs, they say so much," sings a lyric many of us know. Yet "sad" is relative and "saying so much" is important for every one of us. The music at yesterday's memorial service honoring J Schroeder, beloved 61-year-old husband and dad, son, brother, friend, was moving and meaningful. The following song invited us to quietly [...]
Good morning... On the morning when another family in our community will host a memorial service for a beloved husband, father, friend, I return to the illusive promise eluded to in yesterday's post. On this one-of-a-kind day, how can the joy of the Lord be our strength? And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods [...]
Good morning... "My brain is 95% song lyrics," said the little boy's t-shirt at the airport on Friday. While waiting for our plane, my three traveling family members scoffed at me as I pulled out my journal and recorded the quote. Then my husband and I proceeded to laugh with our two daughters, 20 and 22-years-old, as together [...]
Good morning... As we savor this Sabbath, we slow down. We rest. We look back. We live now. We move forward with God. Encouraging phases have held us well this week. Remain screwed in. Stay plugged in. Unlearn a lot. As we revisit posts from this week, gratitude grows, as we catch our breath before living on. We [...]
