A Lesson from Mister Rogers

Today began with yet another cold, dreary morning. By this point in March (with basketball brackets to monitor and green beverages to consume) you begin to expect nice weather: sunshine, blue skies, warm temps. But no – we must wait a little longer and endure another cool, cloudy day!

It was hard to get out of bed, and a struggle to get motivated. We had a couple hours before church started. I should have worked on homework, or I should have started writing this blog. I should have started some laundry. But I didn’t! Instead, I grabbed a cup of coffee, curled up on the couch with my daughter, and we watched an entire hour of Mister Rogers Neighborhood!

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A time to rest; A time to write!

It has been three months since I last sat down to write this blog. I sit at Panera, my “go to” spot for a quick writing escape. There is a hot cup of hazelnut coffee within reach. I can spot the same table of retired folks I’ve seen here for years, gossiping and drinking coffee for hours. Headphones in, laptop ready to go! And now I must write…

If one suffers, we must suffer together

I have dear friends going through very difficult struggles. We know this human life, so often filled with great joy, can yield far greater suffering; physical and emotional pain surrounds. Yet this knowledge of inevitable suffering doesn’t make it easier to handle. Sometimes life’s chaos is thrown at you so hard it takes your breath away. Sometimes the person you love and trust the most causes you more pain than you could ever imagine possible. Sometimes the person you always thought would be there, suddenly isn’t. Sometimes the perfect path we plan for our lives veers so off course we lose all sense of stability and control.

So, I was yelled at by a squirrel…

I went to a retreat this weekend. It was short – less than 24 hours; a small group – only 14 of us. There were no well-known, expensive speakers. We talked about God. The lodge was quite nice, weather lovely.

Sounds nice, you might say.