Our children are now home from school for an undetermined period, weeks if not months. We as adults feel alarm and anxiety and so do our children and teens. Our faith has a gift for us in the midst of this current situation: the message that “God is with us; we are not alone!” God doesn’t magically cure or change things in the world; God’s love does work through us, with us and within us through all that life brings our way. It is the love we know from God and the love that we share with family and friends (even...

The Covid-19 virus has taken over the news cycle, and now is starting to affect various events and maybe even our daily routines. We might feel the alarm growing within us as we wonder just how worried we should be. Here is my advice and how I’m approaching this:   SLOW DOWN!   I mean this in two ways. First of all, slow down the reactions. Right now, many of us are perfectly safe. We should practice good flu season basics – washing hands, staying home when we are sick, not touching our face and not shaking hands with other people....

I invite you to enjoy this 12 minute video of couples (of all sorts) from around the world, as they share what it has meant to them to be together for 30+ years. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/advice-from-couples-married-for-30-years-great-big-story/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=02-03-2020   Blessings, Rev. Susan  ...

I’m so glad that we have a dog in our house, an American Cocker Spaniel, named Marco. He is a crazy dog, who falls off backwards from the couch and doesn’t even seem to mind. I can’t begin to count the number of times that we end up just sitting there and laughing together at the dog’s antics. Marco brings out the playfulness in us, and I am grateful.   We all need to play. Sometimes we forget that as adults, but play is a gift of God, a gift built into our systems to bring us rest and restoration. Deep...

Romance and attraction brings us into the marriage. But romance doesn’t last and it is not a full-time state for the marriage relationship forever and ever. So, what is marriage (meaning any committed partnership between any two people) – what is the purpose of marriage?   We are meant to be in relationship with other human beings. In the unfolding of nature, God has provided relationship as a gift where we can grow, mature and become all that we are meant to be in this world. Children grow and mature within the care of loving adults. And two adults who have...

“You always hurt the one you love The one you shouldn't hurt at all” -- so go the lyrics by an old Mill Brothers song.   It takes my breath away when I stop to realize how easily I could emotionally wound my husband and my children. It would only take a moment to pierce their hearts with words that I know would devastate them. I am so privileged to have them in my life. I love them and cherish them so dearly. Yet, I could so easily hurt them.   We’ve all seen it happen in relationships – our own...

It’s a busy morning! The kids’ lunches didn’t get made last night. We slept in. It is going to be a mad dash to get out of the door on time. Can’t be late for work – there is a meeting first thing. And then there is that appointment later on. Go! Go! Go! All hands on deck!   It is so easy on a morning where everything is happening at once and nothing seems to be organized the way we had planned to finally rush out the door without ever having said, “Good morning” to our partner or given them...

Prince Charming comes riding in on a stallion, kisses Sleeping Beauty, she awakes, a glamorous wedding is staged and they live happily ever after. This story of the pursuit of love and romance is told over and over with so many variations. It is the basic premise of romantic movies. Almost always the guy is pursing the gal. A challenging time or a test of the love may occur. And then they are in each other’s arms and all is well -- forever.   Unfortunately, that is the picture we are left with – the happily ever after. But anyone who...

Then there are the winters in our relationships, in our marriages. These are the times when we aren’t sure that we love the other person or even like them so much. There are times when we aren’t sure what our relationship is all about. Sometimes an incident has happened that has pulled us apart. Sometimes outside stress has been too much and we feel as if we are unable to hold the relationship together. These are difficult times, discerning times. But they don’t mean that the marriage is over. We won’t always feel “in love” with our partner. There are times...

“I think we’ve fallen out of love. Maybe our marriage is over.” We’ve all heard those words spoken, and maybe even spoken them ourselves. The statement points us to deeper questions. What does it mean to fall in love or out of love? And what really is marriage?   First of all, when I write about marriage, I’m including anyone in a committed relationship, two women, a man and a woman, two men, whether or not one has had an official wedding ceremony.   Let’s explore first what it means when we say, “I’ve fallen in love.” This is the first...