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To follow with love and longing
“Did I tell you I saw my son?” a mother asked me in a spiritual direction session. About a year ago, her adult son cut off all contact. Since then, her texts, emails, and phone calls have gone unanswered. She suspects he’s blocked her. She doesn’t understand how he could abandon her. She’s heartbroken. I share this story (with her permission) for two reasons. First, some say the heartbreak of parental estrangement has become an epidemic (see Unpacking the Epidemic of Parental Estrangement | Psychology Today). Second, an image emerged that provided hope, not just for her, but for all. “You saw your son. What happened?” She said she was…
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A mystical message from a pop song of the 70’s
It was a year of sadness. But it was also a year when Mary spoke to me in a most unlikely way – through a pop song of the 1970’s. First the sadness. I felt stuck in my old job. I had been a general manager for a division of a large steel company for twenty years. During most of that time, I enjoyed the challenges of managing a cyclical business and found plenty of new ideas to pursue to make things better. Then I hit a point where I felt nothing – no drive, no initiative, and nothing to look forward to. The commute was almost painful as I settled…
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The Lord Spoke to Job in a Storm
My heart reaches out to the people in Western North Carolina. The devastation is unlike anything I’ve seen. I feel a deep emotional connection to the places that Helene has destroyed. Even The Flowering Bridge of Lake Lure I wrote about in June (The Best Way to Cross to the Other Side) is gone. It was one of the most cherished trips I made this year.
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“What happened to the sun?” asked the two year old
Last week, I was at Emerald Isle with my family. In addition to my delight in being with my children and grandchildren and their spouses and partners, I received a neat lesson on the spiritual life. I was holding one of my grandsons, J.B., who is two and a half. On the first evening, I pointed to the horizon and said, “Look, the sun is setting.” We gazed off the balcony, from which we had a view of the sunset, the sunrise, and the ocean in between. As he saw the sun disappear, there was some separation anxiety. When he said, “Good night, Sun,” it felt ominous, like a…
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When we cry out, “This is enough, Lord.”
When you find yourself in spiritual desolation and feel like saying, “This is enough, Lord,” there is one question to ask: Who’s voice am I listening to – is it the voice of the Good Angel, or someone else?
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Hope for the throw aways
If God can do something so miraculous to a discarded pit, just think what God can do with you.
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Healing the wounds in the desert of my soul
To find healing in the present, we need to let God heal the wounds of the past.
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Time to turn to the untier of knots
Let Mary, the Untier of Knots, help you with the 'knots' in your life.
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Giving a reason to hope
How can you "always be ready to give a reason for your hope"?
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Hope for a “Lost Boy”
Two symbols of hope that have followed me throughout my life.
