Author: Margie Cole

Dear TSJ Friends, Another Wednesday has arrived and I don’t want to let it slip by without a brief story from TSJ headquarters! As the war in Ukraine rages and ravages on, it is becoming more important than ever for each of us to find islands of wisdom and hope in times of confusion. I have been thinking for some time now about how we each have periods in our lives when we have to find something that pulls us toward our higher good. We see the need and desire for hope and wisdom. It is true that we have to

Dear TSJ Friends, We certainly live in uncertain times!  And uncertainty is difficult for us humans in the first place, even more so in our troubled world where the horrors of evil and war are in front of our eyes in real time with real people. All of this on top of the weariness of the pandemic points to how uncertainty can generate unrest of mind, heart and body!   Which brings me to today’s reflection.  Increasingly I have come to understand that our bodies tell our stories from physical, spiritual, and psychological perspectives. One example on how we physically embody (

Dear TSJ Friends and Family, Shall we spend a few moments together in reflection?  Our muse Solomon has been missing his role in writing the blog letters to our “peeps.” As many of you know, I am taking a bit of a hiatus from writing the weekly blog letters. I am working on some writing and seeking renewal and guidance in my work. Thank you to all of you for your patience and for your numerous encouraging words. And I really couldn’t go to sleep tonight without sharing some thoughts with our TSJ peeps. Today I was puzzled that I

Dear TSJ Friends and Family, Sunday mornings bring a certain routine here at TSJ headquarters.  Mr. John has choir practice for about ninety minutes before church each week. It seems foolish to drive two cars, so I gather my book bags, notebook and pens so we can enjoy the ride together.Then I either sit in the car for a quiet time or drive to a secluded spot for reading and journaling. Last Sunday morning was routine for me . . . until it wasn’t. AN ORDINARY SUNDAY MORINNG For some unknown reason, last Sunday after I spent some alone time

Dear TSJ Friends,   Dear TSJ Friends. Several days ago I stepped out to our backyard to feed the birds. It was early morning and the sun was coming up, casting its rays in a grand display of fall colors. When I saw this, it took my breath away. I actually gulped back big tears. It was that exquisite. I ran back into the house to grab my I-Pad for a picture to share with you, but a picture is not the same of course. The beauty. The stillness, The mirrored reflection in the water. And the gradual brilliance of

Dear TSJ Friends, I hope your week is going well in spite of all the challenges you are facing.   I hope you will forgive me for one more playground reflection. It is a shepherding blog. As adults we don’t talk about “tantrums” much, but they are very real. Have you ever had to deal with temper tantrums in your children or adults? Several weeks ago, Hendrix, our two year-old “runner” (it seems), trotted happily along the mile long paved path he loves to explore. He loves doing little extras along the way  too, like finding things to crawl over and

Dear TSJ Friends,   As a child I heard and read Bible stories, nursery rhymes and fairy tales one way and now  I “hear” them very differently as an older person. As one who has now lived a lot of years, I can more readily relate to the wise King Solomon of biblical fame. After all of the wisdom the young Solomon had asked for and received from God, his royal power made him vulnerable to greed. He then made poor decisions causing him to slip off the righteous path and squander his gift. His story can be all of

HelloTSJ Friends and Family! THE GIFT OF BEAUTY Have you ever thought that being able to perceive beauty is in itself a gift? I think both beauty and our ability to perceive it are from God. The other day when the doorbell rang and John answered it, he returned with a delivery of a birthday bouquet! A bouquet of beautiful flowers! So I thought it great fun to send you some flowers today via my bouquet.  I hope you enjoy them!  And maybe they will lift your spirits if you need a lift. (Most of us do!) And I hope

Dear TSJ Friends, I hope this is finding you well. While so many of you are facing numerous challenges in your private lives and in our turbulent world you may be like me in discovering sometimes it is the world between our ears that can be a battle ground. Our thoughts and fears can blind us from resources within and around us to keep encouraged. In dark times we may have a tendency to forget that the world is also full of love and hope. A couple of weeks ago John and I were reading our daily meditation and a