“As I learn more about my own story, I am realizing that the bloodline of God is connected to everything, no matter how it was first created in the beginning. The shells on the ocean shore, the mushrooms growing in the forest, the trees stretching to the clouds, the tiniest speck of snow in the winter, and our dust-to-dustness, we are all connected and tethered to this sacred gift of creation.” -Kaitlin Curtice, Native: Identity, Belonging and Rediscovering God

I remember the curiosity that filled my heart as I bent low to further examine this mushroom pushing through the forest floor. What I hadn’t expected, though, was the delight that rushed in when I saw the baby mushroom under the canopy of protection.

I received news yesterday morning that a friend from Living Word in Katy, TX, has suddenly died. Her name is Mary Lou. I learned so much about presence from Mary Lou as I watched her lead a monthly ministry, called The Gathering, providing respite care for people suffering from memory loss.

If you have a moment, give thanks for a special person in your life whose witness has helped clear the way for God’s love to live in you.