An Awareness of the Sacred

By Lisa B. Thomas  •  April 24, 2025

Right before I went into the Labor and Delivery Room, my brother Mark texted me this message, “Remember this is a sacred moment. Open your heart and take this in.” And then, I walked into the room where my daughter-in-law Yoly was in labor. My son Tim and Yoly’s mother Wanda gave me a hug, I kissed Yoly’s forehead and we waited for the contractions to do their work to dilate the cervix.

Recent Blog Posts

Pride in the Time of COVID-19 and Social Unrest

By Guest Blogger  •  June 11, 2020

Wildfires in Australia. A global pandemic, the worst public health crisis in a century. Great human tragedy worldwide. Police brutality against unarmed black and brown..

Dear 2020 Graduate...

By Rev. Rebecca S. King  •  June 05, 2020

2020 SPRING GRADUATIONS Graduation. Coming from a root word meaning “step,” it is a time to celebrate the work a student has completed in order to move on with the next..

Sacred Thresholds

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  May 28, 2020

Each time I sit down to write for this Abundant Aging blog, I find myself reviewing my life. Sometimes it’s just a cursory glance at the past week of inconsequential..

Choosing Hope

By Rev. Beth Rodenhouse  •  May 21, 2020

Mourning Loss Wasn’t Mother’s Day strange? I couldn’t bring flowers to my mom. We couldn’t gather around the dinner table. I mourn the loss of family and group..

Hope in Community — A Tribute to Nursing Homes for National Skilled Nursing Care Week 2020

By Rev. Dr. Kenneth Daniel  •  May 14, 2020

As we cope with the COVID-19 pandemic here in Ohio, the governor has adopted the phrase “We’re in this together” as his motto. I think he’s captured a deep human truth...

The Heart of Nursing -- National Nurses Week

By Rev. Catherine Lawrence  •  May 07, 2020

Pandemic Healthcare The healthcare profession, with nursing at its center, has been leading the charge in the care of COVID-19 patients. Each year, we celebrate National..

Hope Grows in Pandemic

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  April 30, 2020

Happy Easter? In this season of Eastertide — a word I love and remember from my growing-up years — we prolong celebrating the good news of resurrection. When I was..

Hope Is Not Canceled

By Rev. Rebecca S. King  •  April 24, 2020

Hope Found in an Ancient Song In mid-March, as the COVID-19 pandemic moved closer to home, I walked around the Life Plan Community I serve to talk with residents about..

Promises and Possibilities Amid COVID-19

By Rev. Catherine Lawrence  •  April 16, 2020

The Easter Promise Entering Parkvue Community on Easter morning, I felt like a pastor straddling two very different worlds. The first world is my comforting foundation...