A Few Gems from Psalm 16-18
This morning, I read the encouragement in my favorite group of Psalms, 16-18 (so worn from reading that they’ve fallen out of my Bible). Consider these gems: Psalm 16:5: You alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. Psalm 17: 6-7 I call on you, my God, for you will answer […]
Nature Therapy
I leave for the woods on this bright, snowy late morning. I enjoy the silence and the peacefulness. I stay for an hour, thinking about anything I need to think about, taking notice of beautiful things, and capturing moments.
As If Death Were Already Behind Us
This morning I read In the School of the Holy Spirit and Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe as both have aided me in my journey to mental health. I read two phrases that help me understanding surrender to the Lord in a deeper way. First, I read of truly free people. Philippe writes, “The only people […]
Gather the Wise Ones
I listen well when Italian Mamas share wisdom about aging, creativity, friendship, and love. I learn about all the times in life a woman must reinvent herself, and I listen to how that happens, what it’s like, and what to expect. Everyone needs friends who gather to pass on wisdom. When you find those friends, […]
More Italian Mama Wisdom: You Need You Sometimes
You need you sometimes. The Italian Mama offers wisdom today as she describes advising friends to be there for themselves. It’s like softly saying to me–but will full Italian Mama authority–“Heather needs Heather today.” You need you today. We discuss how mothers know how to care for everyone else but themselves. They put everyone aside […]
“As you always do. . .”
Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do. . . I read in Psalm 119:132 the cry of the priest who writes, “Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.” As you always do. . . The phrase reminds me that […]
Caring for Others (When they Don’t Like Being Fussed Over)
My husband does not like to be fussed over. When he’s sick (like he is now), that means I have to care for him while pretending like I’m leaving him alone. It’s an art form. But I’m well-trained in offering support that doesn’t look like support (after all, that’s what teenagers like). So I make […]
Give It Time
My friend mentions that when she wasn’t feeling well last week that, even when well again, it took three days to feel like herself again. “It takes three days,” she says again. (I actually remember a nurse telling me that once. She said that the first day I begin to feel better means I should […]
Safe In Here
All evening and into the morning, the wind howls. We wake to black branches scattered on the snow and green trash cans tumbling down the icy sidewalks. I hardly sleep. I burrow into my coat to make it safely to my classroom. As I teach, the high-pitched wind shrieks against the windows. It’s a haunting, […]
Ask, Seek, Knock
This morning, the pastor spoke on Matthew 7: 7 and this astonishing sentence: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” I find myself wondering about the difference between the three verbs. Ask. Seek. Knock. We ask for what we need. […]