No doubt this past year has been unprecedented in countless ways, not the least being it is just plain ol’ strange. As one who works in church ministry, whose daily tasks and overall flow of life center around the liturgical year, I should be gearing up for Lent, but some time since the beginning of…
Tag: light
Be Still and Know I Am
Be still and know I am. Today I began the last day of this complicated year with a walk through the snowy forest at dawn. The mantra running through my head on a loop was “Be still and know I am.” There is so much to unpack from this year that we will probably be…
An Abundance of Life Shrouded by the Dormancy of Winter
Although I may live in one of the tiniest houses in my suburban Chicago town, the best part about it is its location. What I didn’t realize or really even notice when my husband and I planted roots in our neighborhood sixteen years ago, just a mere two blocks away there exists an 19th century…
When What We Consume Consumes Us
Aday or two before the dreaded time change back in the beginning of November, I threw out a few questions to my Facebook friends in regards to how to face the dreaded darkness that was about to descend upon us: What are your most successful coping strategies for adjusting and thriving? Or even just surviving?…
Becoming More Than
After investing a whole lot of time listening to the testimonies in the Impeachment Hearings for many days last week, this past weekend I decided to immerse myself in what might just be the antithesis of all that is happening between political parties in our nation’s capitol and between citizens of goodwill all around our…
The Antonym of Me: Responding to Hate with Love
The burden of helplessness is so very heavy. I feel it in my bones as I drag them around all week trying to accomplish even the basic tasks required by life. Everything demands extra effort and I am tired. Collapsing on the sofa after work, I find myself asleep hours before my normal bed time….
Light Waiting to be Found in the Shade of the Forest
After a week of some seriously formidable heat which forced all attempts at exercise to be done inside the confines of an air conditioned sweat box called “the gym”, this morning’s 70 degree temps, coupled with low humidity was a much welcomed invitation to return to nature. These past days have also been filled with…
A Little Bit of Light Pushes Away a Lot of Darkness
Every so often we are offered a deliberate opportunity to stop and reflect upon the power of one person who uses their light to make a big ol’ positive difference in our lives. Just this week that opportunity was mine when I was asked to write a letter of support for my daughter’s IEP Case…
Wrestling with Redemptive Darkness
For months on end it seems as if so much of my time has been spent wrestling with darkness. The darkness to which I refer isn’t the blackness brought about by the drab, cloudy winter days whose number seem to outweigh those when the sun makes an appearance. Rather the shadows of gloom I battle are delivered daily, courtesy of my child’s…
EYES WIDE OPEN 