April 13

For those of you with whom I share chapters of life at St. John’s in Brookfield, WI, you may have already seen Kari’s news that on this day, April 13, 2021, her dear daughter Holly would have turned 30. Holly was in my oldest son’s Sunday School class and she died in a tragic car accident coming home from college for Christmas in 2010. You can see a photo of her here. A few weeks before she passed away, Holly shared with her roommates that she decided never to leave by saying “Good Bye”, instead she would leave reminding everyone to “Love Life!”

From General Lowenhielm’s toast at Babette’s Feast: “Man in his weakness and shortsightedness believes he must make choices in this life. He trembles at the risk he takes. We do know fear. But no. Our choice is of no importance. There comes a time when our eyes are opened. And we come to realize that mercy is infinite. We need only await it with confidence and receive it with gratitude. Mercy imposes no conditions. And, lo! Everything we have chosen has been granted to us. And everything we rejected has also been granted. Yes, we get back even what we rejected. For mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and bliss kiss one another.”

Fourteen cross stations
Hope’s plot twist… Restoration
Fourteen healing leaves

2019

This image is about the theme of wandering. It figures that my journaling to accompany it would also feel like a Wild Goose chase. I’ve gone from watching Cinderella’s bippity boppity boo scene (because you know, wand-er) to Slinky tutorials to Psalm 107. It’s a big tangled mystery… and my deliverance? It comes in the form of the OK and Share buttons.

2018

humbled by and grateful for the Spirit of Love that continues to connect us across time and space and dimensions yet named

2018

“Creative work requires a loyalty as complete as the loyalty of water to the force of gravity.” ~Mary Oliver

2017

Blessings, friends, on this day of remembrance. Sharing a page of sermon notes from a couple years back…

2016

Some morning ponderings on what is unfolding in our lives with the Grunewald Guild

2015

Sharing a bonus image today… because joy is always with us.

2015

Rise Up Creative … Grateful for the radical grace showing up through journaling as I prepare for Saturday

2014

The love of God is unstoppable.

2014

“How we crave the high up and holy… Jesus? He just keeps riding in on a donkey, meeting us in our lowliest states. All along it was not by stunts of glory, but by touch and laughter and tears that Jesus has healed and restored.” ~an excerpt from Kayla McClurg

Through touch and laughter and tears, let’s follow Holly’s lead and “Love life!”