wednesday, September 24, 2025 Quote of the week

“There’s nothing wrong with things taking time.”

Sir James Dyson

Fall has officially arrived, and I feel the nostalgia of nesting, making stews or even entertaining the idea of making bread from scratch. My grandma Meyer and my grandma Hammack both baked bread, and autumn reminds me of the fresh aroma that wafted through their kitchens. Stephanie Mills said that, “bread is the epitome of the simple, everyday miracles we take for granted”. Baking bread is an artform, transforming four basic ingredients of flour, water, yeast, and salt into exquisite deliciousness.

To start, flour builds the foundation serving as its basic structure. Water (but my grandmas used milk and water) enhances the flavor with a creamy, rich sweetness. Yeast, a living organism brought to life with moisture and warmth, leavens the dough, allowing it to rise. In order to slow the fermentation, salt is added, helping to support and strengthen the dough. After an hour’s time in the oven, the dough changes into a golden loaf of bread.

Let’s align grieving with the art of making bread. My friends, family, and faith acted as my flour, the foundation for which I leaned on for support. Scripture and the authors I read represented water, my life sustenance. Both reminded me I am never alone, and I am loved all the while teaching me to ride life’s current instead of fighting it.

The ebb and flow of life, the changing seasons, the life cycle of birth and death, symbolized yeast. Life happens, and I am not in control of the rise and fall of the events this world gives, which allows me to sink deeper into my faith. Salt, the final ingredient. A mere tablespoon of salt has a tremendous impact on the quality of the bread. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said that his apostles were “the salt of the earth…” meaning they were to be honest and exhibit moral strength. Salt represents for me a purpose for a life I still have yet to live, to make an impact and influence others and to serve. It holds me accountable to not take anything and anyone for granted and to open my eyes to the miracles that are abounding.

Like bread baked from scratch, your grieving takes time as well. Grief is your art; it is your expression. Honor yourself by taking the time. Knead through what you are given and rejoice in the miracles you discover along your healing journey.

wednesday, September 17, 2025 Quote of the week

“An arch consists of two weaknesses which, leaning on each other, become a strength.”

Leonardo da Vinci

Jim and I were fortunate to have traveled. When our children were young, we took them on many adventures, but as they grew into their own lives, the trips were mostly just the two of us. Now that they are adults, they know how to travel, for they were taught by the best! Because Jim traveled frequently during his career, he properly trained us on the processes. He even knew what rows on the plane were served the refreshments first!

Recently, my friend Raquel and I were traveling to Ireland. The plane was leaving at 9:00 p.m. from New York then landing in Dublin around 8:30 a.m.. I’d packed Benadryl, my earplugs, and a book anticipating a quiet nighttime flight. A young family of four boarded and settled into the two rows across from our seats. Dad settled into the row in front of his wife with the sevenish year-old, while Mom filed in behind her husband with their three-year-old. Perhaps a six-hour flight is not terribly long, but for the younger of the two, the duration spanned lifetimes.

For the next couple of hours, the youngest cried and screamed relentlessly, and there was little his mother could do to comfort her son. He was thrashing about and utterly inconsolable. She was reassuring him that everything was ok, but he would scream it was not. Finally, the little boy settled his head into his mother’s lap and slept. Exhausted, his mother closed her eyes and pressed her forehead into the back of her husband’s seat. She reached around to touch his arm, and he gently rested his hand upon hers. It was a beautiful and indescribable moment I won’t forget.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote that, "We must lean on others to strive on our own." That couple defined strength and compassion without uttering a single word. He was able to give her everything she needed at that moment as she leaned into his strength. In those moments of destitute and helplessness during grief, which we all encounter, who do we reach towards?

During this fragile time, keep guard over your heart. Lean on those who simply comfort with their touch.

wednesday, September 3, 2025 Quote of the week

“Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.”

Henry David Thoreau

Walking through the woods recently, I noticed subtle changes along the way. The sun now lazily stretches along the edges of the sky, and its heat is more tolerable. My dog, Phoebe, ran through crunchy leaves where just days prior had been sprigs of fresh grass. Speckled dots of crimson and buttery-yellow leaves are now snuggled in among the green. Change is coming.

Nature, as Thoreau suggested, can teach us how to accept the inevitable changes that we encounter in life. Nothing stays the same, for it is continuously transforming and renewing. Literary critic, Samuel Johnson, wrote “There is, indeed, something inexpressibly pleasing in the annual renovation of the world, and the new display of the treasure of nature.” Whether summer resigns to fall, or winter relinquishes to spring, there is astonishing beauty to behold. Likewise, whether the changes in our lives are welcomed or not, we know that there are treasures to be found in them all.

We are nature. Therefore, there are subtleties occurring within us everyday. The difference is that Nature simply follows its course whereas we tend to doubt and question. “The goal of life,” Joseph Campbell wrote, “is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” Campbell is suggesting we become one with Nature as we navigate our losses and befriend our grief.

There are numerous Biblical teachings about renewing and transforming, which indeed is what Nature illuminates. Romans 12:2 helped me throughout my grieving where it says to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” as well as Ephesians 4:24 to “put on a new self.” Moving forward does not negate our loss. We are instead transformed into something new because of our loss. Acceptance of life and death, as well as everything in between, is Nature. Just like the rings of a tree are uniquely their own, so are the prints pressed upon our fingers.

They may not be noticeable, but soon we do find ourselves navigating the bumps and the smooth paths as we are moving forward.

Storylight A transformational journey SHARON M WIBLE

wednesday, September 24, 2025 Quote of the week

wednesday, September 17, 2025 Quote of the week

Leonardo da Vinci

wednesday, September 3, 2025 Quote of the week

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