I haven’t yet had the privilege of meeting Anne Morelli in person, but we’ve connected in a number of places online. And every one of her posts is encouraging and authentic. She has a way of sharing quiet, heartfelt wisdom. She recently released an intriguing book about grief called, When Grief Descends: Suffering, Consolation, and The Book of Job (see details below). I invited her to share a little bit about her book and her thoughts here. Will you please help me welcome Anne to this little corner of the internet?
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In an incredibly short period, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused us to face a breadth and depth of change that has thrown us off-kilter. The losses that are associated with every change have forced us to walk on unfamiliar paths, through uncharted territory. Most of us are just trying to find our next step, process everything that has happened, and do what we can to console others while still maintaining appropriate social distancing.
I hope you had a relaxing Independence Day celebration, though I suspect it looked different from past years.
My husband spent the last number of weeks working out of state, so I’ve decided to take a two-week blogging break to spend some time with family. I’m sharing a few glimpses of my summer so far. I hope you’ll join me back here in two weeks!
And, if you are looking for something to read and focus on Jesus this summer, I’m giving away a 28-day devotional book called, Finding God’s Presence in Everyday Living to my newsletter subscribers. Click the book cover below for more information.
A number of years ago, these words accompanied the news that I had an ovarian cyst that looked “suspicious.” As I grappled with the waiting for the doctor’s appointments to be scheduled, for the tests to be run and translated, my thoughts were never far from “the C word.”
Cancer? Me? But I was a mother of very young children. I couldn’t have cancer. I feared walking through the suffering of the disease. The not-knowing, the waiting clawed at me, shortened my breaths, made my heart pound hard.
Happy New Year! And not only a new year but a new decade. 2019 was a year of stretching and trusting. Teenaged boys have given me a lot of practice in learning how to trust God.
My One Word for 2019 was LIVE.
I thought my word would have me focusing on choosing to live in each moment instead of looking too far ahead and managing my days rather than living out the moments of my days.
But, God has ways of bringing out other facets from the lessons we think we’re going to learn.
Thanksgiving is a couple of days behind me, and I determine I’m going to make this year the Christmas season where I’m truly resting in the midst of the busy-ness of it all. I decide to cut back on activities and things I feel obligated to complete.
Each year I promise myself I’m going to come upon Christmas Day rested and worshiping my Savior, grateful for all that the Day represents.
And almost every year Christmas Day arrives and I am weary. I forget to give myself grace.
You all know my family is pretty important to me. This week is my boys’ Spring Break. We are off making some fun memories. To be able to be “all in” for each moment, I have decided to take a Spring Break from posting this week. I look forward to reconnecting with everyone next week!
In the meantime, may God fill your days with many glimpses of His love for you, with greater understanding of His word, and with special blessings.
There’s something about a new year that enables me to breathe deep.
2018 was a tough year for our family. We walked through some things with the boys that had me remembering that my Hope is truly found in Jesus alone. I found myself turning to Him in the stress and the chaos that the year threw at me.
My hope is that you are spending this day with your family and friends. As you take time to barbecue, laugh, and enjoy fireworks and sparklers, may you also think on the incredible gift of freedom we are celebrating!
I wanted to let you know I am taking a little break from blogging. Our family has a lot going on in July, and I need to be “all there” with them. I will look forward to being back here in August, and I’ll be refreshed and ready to reconnect with all of you!
Please know how much I appreciate you and look forward to our interactions.