Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love the family getting together. The delicious smells showering my kitchen. The turkey browning in the oven. The laughter and chatter even while washing the dishes and scrubbing the pans. I smile with the memories of past holidays with loved ones now in heaven and still in our hearts. And of course, the side dishes. We will have my sister in law's sweet potato dish. Katie's homemade pumpkin pie. My mom's crockpot dressing. Good ol' green bean casserole and our family joke about needing the recipe to make it just right (We don't really but we always cut it out of the magazine ads each year and send it to each other) And cranberry jello the grandkids request and we all enjoy. Gratitude for all God's gifts overwhelmed my heart this week as I got out the recipes and made these plans for Thursday. Thank you for family. Thank you for the ones not in our near bubble we can't be with this year. We miss them. Thank you for … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings – What I Learned in October
October brings multiple colorful gifts. I love God's Palette this time of year and mused about that observation last week. The October trees also share their lessons about letting go – a spiritual practice I wrote a series on in 2017. The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go.” Anonymous Each month I look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Let’s wake up to the wonders in the ordinary all around us. I record what I notice on the pages of my Monthly Musings Journal. You can use anything, scrapes of papers, a journal, or a calendar. Copies of my Monthly Musings Journal are available on Amazon and are a convenient way to keep track of the little things in life we often miss. Or if you want to click the button at the end of this post to get a FREE copy of my one sheet Monthly Musings … [Read more...]
God’s Palette – Colors of the Season
God's palette of brilliant colors ignited the trees in northwest Ohio this month. Autumn exhibits meaningful messages if we pay attention to her music. "Of the four seasons, autumn is by far the most paradoxical. Wedged between an equinox and a solstice, it moors us to cosmic rhythms of deep time and at the same time envelops us in the palpable immediacy of its warm afternoon breeze, its evening chill, its unmistakable scentscape. It is a season considered temperate, but one often tempestuous in its sudden storms and ecstatic echoes of summer heat. We call it “fall” with the wistfulness of loss as we watch leaves and ripe fruit drop to the ground, but it is also the season of abundance, of labor coming to fruition in harvest. " Maria Popova I gaze at trees gathered together like patchwork quilts across auburn fields of corn, showcasing their pigmented performance. They blend together in a murmuration of color. God's palette contains some colors that on their own are not … [Read more...]
Linger Longer in Love
I wrote this following the funeral of a good friend who died unexpectedly last week. If I had known last Sunday would have been the last time I saw you on this earth, I would have looked a little deeper into your eyes. I would have lingered longer in love. I would have paused and been present. Listened, cherished each word. Shared with you how much your faith in God inspires me. Acknowledging how much you mean to me as a friend. I wouldn't have rushed off to get things done before the service began. To do's that don't seem so important now. If I had known I would have broken covid social distancing guidelines and hugged you. Until we meet again, good buddy. Until we meet again. If I had known…and yet every encounter holds this possibility – of being the last time together. Precious, precarious life. I remember giggling with a friend about our husbands' snoring when a few weeks later, her husband suddenly died. She told me later she would give anything … [Read more...]
Searching for Certainty in Uncertain Times
Searching for certainty? Aren't we all seeking solid ground in this crazy upheaval of a year we are living in? Searching for certainty, if I am honest, has always been a need of mine. How about you? Shelly Miller's Searching for Certainty Searching for Certainty is the name of a new book, released today, by my friend and fellow writer, Shelly Miller. Searching for certainty always leads me back to the certain, faithful God of all. I read an early copy of Shelley's book and her words made me realize how often uncertainty has influence my thoughts and behaviors. She shared her shaky times in her life and then surrounds her story with wisdom and grace. Each chapter ends with amazing thought-provoking questions to take to God through prayer and journaling. Ironically Shelly wrote this book long before the pandemic arrived at everyone's doorstep - God prepared her heart to share these insights just in time to provide strength, wisdom, and encouragement for all … [Read more...]
Spiritual Journaling in 2020
Spiritual journaling is the pdf most people request from this blog. This has been true throughout the years (I can't believe I have been blogging since 2009!) and true this year too. Click below if you what to see the number one request. Click Here to Get the Tip Sheet I love talking with God in my journal. At home. While traveling. On retreat. My journal companions me on all types of journeys, especially through this adventure called 2020. Expressing my prayers, emotions, hurts, dreams and whatever else is on my heart to God through the spiritual practice of writing in a journal brings me clarity and peace. I hear God's voice and discern his wisdom. Writing becomes my camera capturing a moment in time in the net of my pen. I began thinking about this word – capturing – this past week and discovered three treasures emerging during 2020 in my journal. Spiritual journaling captures history. I have literally copy, printed then inserted into my journal internet … [Read more...]
What Do You Need to Let Go?
To let go is hard. I tend to cling to what I know, stay in the rut of self-pity too long and dwell in the past rather than moving forward, even when the healing has begun. I admit this. I am beginning to recognize this tendency quicker than I used to, and I am learning to let go. I love Emily P. Freeman's podcast, The Next Right Thing. A few weeks ago, she challenged us to "Leave It Behind." Well worth your time to listen to her wise words. Emily first discussed names we were and are called and continue to call ourselves. Do you have a nickname? What did your parents call you? Your friends? Your adversaries? I still hear a collection of monikers echoing in my heart: Jean Anne, Ammie, Jeanie, Indian Fatso (from 6th grade - ugh!) J, and Beanie. My weight watcher friends now call me Lean Jean – I like that one. ( : Emily shares: "Your life is a story already happening, and you bring every name with you wherever you go. Like … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings – What I Learned in July
I haven't written a monthly musing post since February – remember that month? Prepandemic? When events were still on the calendar? Vacations anticipated and planned? How quickly our worlds turned upside down. Yet the practice of reflection, examining where you soul is, how you spend your time, and how are you nourishing yourself in all dimensions, continues to ground us and grows us deeper. I think it is time I ponder July and possibly back even further. I like to look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Let’s wake up to the wonders in the ordinary all around us. I record what I notice on the pages of my Monthly Musings Journal. You can use anything, scrapes of papers, a journal, or a calendar. Copies of my Monthly Musings Journal are available on Amazon and are a convenient way to keep track of the little things in life we often … [Read more...]