A theology that recognizes "the goodness of God in the land of the living" is the most attractive to the world...and you exemplify that so well, Karen. And that ring will always be a reminder.
There’s something deeply incarnational in this simple dispatch from the road, a reminder that the goodness of God is not always thunderous or abstract, but often rests in the tangible: a ring, a shared meal, a splash of sunlight at the pool.
What you’ve named, however briefly, is the sacramentality of the ordinary. That joy and sorrow are never cleanly separated, and that divine tenderness often reaches us not in spite of our weariness, but through it. Even vintage jewelry can become a reliquary of grace.
Oh, you’re so near me! I’m envious of your hosts. 😘 We go to the arboretum for my husband’s birthday every year, and a little section of blooming bed there has my mom’s name on it.
I think of tangible goodness of God, such as you describe, as memorial stones. It did made me laugh that one “memorial stone” He sent you was in fact a ring with a large, beautiful stone. 🥰
It isn’t terribly pleasant right now to be outside, so I apologize for the inhospitable humidity.
Thanks be to God for giving you eyes to recognize His goodness in the midst of devastation and compound loss. 🫂❤️🩹🙏🏻
A theology that recognizes "the goodness of God in the land of the living" is the most attractive to the world...and you exemplify that so well, Karen. And that ring will always be a reminder.
It will be. And thank you for such kind words, Jody.
There’s something deeply incarnational in this simple dispatch from the road, a reminder that the goodness of God is not always thunderous or abstract, but often rests in the tangible: a ring, a shared meal, a splash of sunlight at the pool.
What you’ve named, however briefly, is the sacramentality of the ordinary. That joy and sorrow are never cleanly separated, and that divine tenderness often reaches us not in spite of our weariness, but through it. Even vintage jewelry can become a reliquary of grace.
Steve, this is beautifully expressed. These words are yet another gift to me. Thank you.
"...these things are too marvelous for me." Psalm 131:1-2
Amen.
A beautiful truth, that I believe and feel in my soul. God is good and kind. ❤️
He is.
Oh, you’re so near me! I’m envious of your hosts. 😘 We go to the arboretum for my husband’s birthday every year, and a little section of blooming bed there has my mom’s name on it.
I think of tangible goodness of God, such as you describe, as memorial stones. It did made me laugh that one “memorial stone” He sent you was in fact a ring with a large, beautiful stone. 🥰
It isn’t terribly pleasant right now to be outside, so I apologize for the inhospitable humidity.
Thanks be to God for giving you eyes to recognize His goodness in the midst of devastation and compound loss. 🫂❤️🩹🙏🏻
Oh, so close! Would have loved to connect. Next time!
“The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. I have a goodly inheritance.” (Somehow this King James wording sticks with me.)
Beautiful.