Luann Tennant Coyne

Category: Meditations

Joy Comes With the Morning

Strong confidence young woman standing alone and open arms under the sunrise on top of the mountain. She was delighted and happy to come and see the sunrise from the top of the mountain.

When my father was dying and Mom and I were standing at his bedside in the hospital, Mom asked me to read Psalm 35 aloud to Dad. When I got to verse five, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning,” Mom repeated it, raising her voice because Dad was hard… Continue reading Joy Comes With the Morning

Anchored Beside the River

Sometimes I get infected with the belief that I have to fix every problem that comes at me. I forget that the answer to many problems is just to accept them.  When I keep looking for a fix that isn’t there, one thing that restores me to sanity is to go outside and listen. I… Continue reading Anchored Beside the River

The Beam in the Bay

Here on the Gulf Coast I walk on the beach every day, beside the water. I’ve always felt close to God on a beach. Here is where I bring my concerns, my issues, my questions.  I try to throw them all into the water and then listen for solutions to float back.  This morning I… Continue reading The Beam in the Bay

Embrace the Fog

Here we are at last, in a little Mississippi town on the Gulf of Mexico. We have come here to avoid the winter ice and a massive remodeling project in our home up north. And, providentially, as a place for my husband to heal after a severe back injury. Here we are on the beach,… Continue reading Embrace the Fog

God’s Mailbox

At the top of Nine Mile Mountain on the Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA of the Rockies property in Colorado is a mailbox labelled “God’s Mailbox”. Anyone can climb the mountain and leave a letter to God there. We climbed Nine Mile Mountain last week and peeked into the mailbox.  There were several sealed letters there. … Continue reading God’s Mailbox

Fifty Years and Going Strong

Fifty years ago this month I went off to college for the first time, a timid 18-year-old introvert, thrilled to be there, eager to learn, but anxious and unsure of myself. In the room next door in my dorm, there was a curly-haired, bubbly girl named Deb. She had a glorious soprano voice, a deep… Continue reading Fifty Years and Going Strong

The Gift of Hope

People think that only the elderly, living single, forgotten lives, can feel lonely and despondent.  People do not realize that the young, invisible in a crowd, can feel just as lonely, and just as miserable. When I was in sixth grade, I felt terminally different. I felt like a total misfit, a permanent ugly duckling… Continue reading The Gift of Hope

Dis- the Discougagement

Woman with open arms by the lake on a background of mountains.

All of us get discouraged at times. That’s part of being human. But if your heart is telling you to do something, don’t let the discouragement stop you. Yes, rejection hurts.  It hurts to be belittled by the world or even worse, ignored. It saps one’s energy, and one’s courage, to try and try and… Continue reading Dis- the Discougagement

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

The Gift of Anxiety

Mental disorder, finding answers, confusion concept. Woman suffering from depression, closing face with palms in despair, girl trying to solve complex problems. Simple flat vector

I am working on thanking God for my problems, and it occurred to me today that one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received is my anxiety. I’ve had anxiety all my life. I have learned to treat it with a variety of remedies, including exercise, prayer and meditation, anxiety medicine, re-focusing my mind, sharing… Continue reading The Gift of Anxiety