A week ago today, I was in surgery. I had both my breasts and nipples removed, the left with cancer and the other as prevention. I also had sentinel nodes removed that came back free of cancer. As I reflect on this last week, I first of all am grateful that the cancer was caught…Read more »
Advent and Preparation
It’s been hard, the last few months to be honest. Well, to be really honest this year- that began with hope of a new year after several very hard ones. I thought this had to be the year. A redemptive one full of healing and goodness. Then March hit and the middle of the Lenten…Read more »
To the Women of Faith from my formative years…
To the Women of Faith from my formative years, I say hello… again. To the Women of Faith from my formative years, I say I’m glad I found you… again. A whole-hearted thank you: To the Women of Faith from my formative years, I say thank you for the work you are doing, you have…Read more »
An Offering from the Pandemic
Reflecting recently after a personal diagnosis that has created pause in my life again, I realized a gift that was offered working and living through the throws of the COVID 19 pandemic. This gift is resilience. As I have only begun to talk with others about my lived experience of the pandemic, I am having…Read more »
Her name [is] Lola…
However, my sweet girl is not a show girl and is not the muse of Copacabana. This is the story of my beautiful, rowdy, life-giving, human-loving, loyal and beloved, Lola. One evening my husband yelled from our front porch to come get our 6 month old mini golden-mountain doodle because he needed to rescue some…Read more »
Mid-Year Check In…
The end of July I turned 42. I looked back at the beginning of this year and the two words I felt leading me into 2023. I laughed when I read “the year of Sue” and thinking of how healing and home would be a focus within myself. I believe it started well. I felt…Read more »
A Lenten Journey of Lament and Holy Saturday Reflection
The beginning of Lent 2023, I met with my spiritual director/companion. She suggested, after our several years journeying together, that I write a personal lament. Grief has been a very large component of my personal and professional journey over the last decade. I began to engage this thought and process with openness, vulnerability and a…Read more »
The Power of Song Lyrics… Hosanna
I’ve been paying more attention to the way certain experiences, words, and encounters burrow themselves into the sacredness of my soul. I have found myself healing in returning to the religious music of my youth, though I remain skeptical. I didn’t think I’d find myself back here and… enjoying it. When I would hear Christian…Read more »
An Unexpected Healing Read
I continue to be cemented in the word “healing.” I initially took a few days off to attend a women’s retreat, but I did not sign up by the deadline. I had the dates approved, so I decided it was a wonderful time for a much needed staycation. Since this was scheduled for a retreat,…Read more »
A New Year Devotion (2023)
I was asked to give a devotion to our first full staff meeting of the year last Monday. I have not written or given a devotion in many years. I’ve done lots of weddings and funerals/ memorials where I have written a eulogy or a thoughtful message for a couple, but the pressure to do…Read more »