Luann Tennant Coyne

Category: Family

Lilac Legacy

Each of the pass-along plants in my yard comes with a story.  The most powerful story, however, comes from the lilac bush, and with it, an unsolved mystery. When my husband and I built our new home, my mother gave me a piece of the lilac growing at her retirement home on Island Lake in… Continue reading Lilac Legacy

Always a New Dawn

One thing I have learned in my life is that after every hard time, every struggle, there comes a new dawn.  The trick is to be open to it.  To say Yes to its gifts. Change can be hard. I know that my mother was anxious in the days leading up to my father’s retirement.… Continue reading Always a New Dawn

Growing Peace

Peace is something that we humans have to work at, if we want it.  We have to cultivate it, in our families, our relationships, and our communities. My grandmother did all those things. She even grew peace in her garden. It was a hot summer afternoon at my grandparents’ farm in Northern Michigan, in the… Continue reading Growing Peace

Serenity: Trust God and Refuse to Worry

panoramic shot of depressed child sitting on floor isolated on black

My spiritual mentor of many years passed away last January. I miss her very much, especially now, with such alarming events going on in our world. So many times in the past when I was afraid or anxious, I would call her for comfort and guidance. She would listen and then give me her recipe… Continue reading Serenity: Trust God and Refuse to Worry

The Job of a Grandmother

The job of a grandparent is to make a grandchild feel beloved, special, secure.  My grandmother did that for her grandchildren. Now I try to do that for my own grandchildren. World events can and do storm around us, but as grandparents we put aside our fears and concerns to give our grandchildren time and… Continue reading The Job of a Grandmother

Self-Care is Not Selfish

I found becoming the mother of a newborn terrifying. I was completely responsible for this helpless mite.  What if I screwed up?  What if I forgot to do something crucial? How could I possibly think of myself when this little one needed (and demanded) everything from me? I went into hyper-caretaking mode. Every moment (and… Continue reading Self-Care is Not Selfish

A Crater in My Life

It is Autumn, when a new batch of teenagers go away to college and a new batch of “empty-nester” parents learn to live a childless life, one no longer consumed by the ticking clock of responsibility for another human being. What do you do when a role that has kept you busy for 18 years,… Continue reading A Crater in My Life

Singing to the Trees

On this beautiful summer day when I took my grandson Elijah (who is one and half) out in the stroller, his little words and phrases were longer, and went up and down the scale. He was singing. He sang with complete unselfconsciousness, when he was “in the zone”… that is, when we were progressing slowly… Continue reading Singing to the Trees

“Oom” to All of Us

In mid-April,  my husband and I went back to our grandchildren’s house for the first time in over a year. We were vaccinated and thrilled to be back. Hanah, who is a “big girl” (3 years old), goes to daycare now. So we are babysitting just one grandchild, her little brother Elijah, one day a… Continue reading “Oom” to All of Us

More than a Teapot (Passing the Torch)

Men of my Uncle Barton’s generation did not cry in public, but his eyes were shining with tears as he stood in the restaurant parking lot and pulled a cardboard box out of the trunk of his car.  “Open this later… You’ll understand why,” he said gruffly, gave me a hug, and drove away. For… Continue reading More than a Teapot (Passing the Torch)