Mama Mondays

 Read Psalm 77 (as it’s so good!!) and then read some of my reflections on it below…. Some days— God feels so close and we know that we are not alone. But some days, God feels far, And we cry out— “Where are You?” Where are You when the ache runs deep, when nothing seems to be working, when the waiting gets heavy, and when miracles seem far away? We so easily fix our eyes on what is broken, on what’s not enough, on what slipped through our hands— And we forget: that what we focus on... grows. So we make the choice— to remember, to recall what You have done and remember Your faithfulness time and time again. After the storm has quieted down, we can see more in hindsight, and you give us the grace to trace the thread of Your mercy running through it all. But sometimes in the middle— We forget. We flinch. We fear. We freeze. But when the waves were crashing down, when our eyes were too tearstained to see clearly, —You were still there. You were always...

  A Liturgy for Those Flooded by Too Much Information In a world so wired and interconnected, our anxious hearts are pummeled by an endless barrage of troubling news. We are daily aware of more grief, O Lord, than we can rightly consider, of more suffering and scandal than we can respond to, of more hostility, hatred, horror, and injustice than we can engage with compassion.   But you, O Jesus, are not disquieted by such news of cruelty and terror and war. You are neither anxious nor overwhelmed. You carried the full weight of the suffering of a broken world when you hung upon the cross, and you carry it still.   When the cacophony of universal distress unsettles us, remind us that we are but small and finite creatures, never designed to carry the vast abstractions of great burdens, for our arms are too short and our strength is too small. Justice and mercy, healing and redemption, are your great labors.   And yes, it is your good pleasure to accomplish...

  Ephesians 1:17-21,  The Message 15-19  That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but  forever . He is in charge of it all,...

Keep the celebration going!  The following blessing is a birthday blessing written by John O' Donahue. I texted it to you with the family group chat on your birthday, but it's worth really taking some time with so I'm sending it again. I read it that morning of your birthday for a centering time with the other chaplains and we all found something beautiful and poignant in it. May there be something for you here today as well.  🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈 Blessed be the mind that dreamed the day The blueprint of your life Would begin to glow on earth, Illuminating all the faces and voices That would arrive to invite Your soul to growth. Praised be your father and mother, Who loved you before you were, And trusted to call you here With no idea who you would be. Blessed be those who have loved you Into becoming who you were meant to be, Blessed be those who have crossed your life With dark gifts of hurt and loss That have helped to school your mind In the art of disappointment. When desolation...

   On Thursday afternoon at Harborview, our supervisor took our little cohort to the Frye Art Museum that is within walking distance of the hospital. I’d never been before but it’s a great free museum in town. Our assignment was to pick something  at the museum that represented something about our experience over the last few months there at Harborview and come back ready to share about it. I chose this painting below and wrote the following poem for my weekly reflection. May it speak to you today too as you feel the waves crashing down...  Immersion The painting beckoned me into the stormy sea, and I accepted its wild invitation.   I dove beneath the surface, waves rising and falling, again and again drawing me back to memories: lessons learned, shadows exposed, sacred stories shared, chapters closed.   And in the vastness of the ocean God’s with-ness   washed over me. This presence: living, breathing, tea...