Luann Tennant Coyne

Category: Meditations

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

Rescuing Baby Fire Monsters

It is not only sheer fun to enter the pretend world of a child, but sometimes it gives us a glimpse of a better world. “These are our bear cages,” Hanah announces. (Hanah and her brother Elijah are visiting us, and playing inside on a rainy day.)  “We are safe from bears and monsters when… Continue reading Rescuing Baby Fire Monsters

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 First New Year’s Resolution I Need to Make

I know whereof I speak: the first and most important New Year’s resolution I need to make, and keep, is to go back to carving out that morning quiet time for reading, meditation, and prayer. Without that, any other resolutions I make will fade away before the last stale Christmas cookie gets thrown out. This… Continue reading The First New Year’s Resolution I Need to Make

Mindfulness: Being present to the gift in the moment

Years ago my mother kept a handwritten note on her refrigerator that read, “Help me be present to the present in this present moment.”  My wish for you and for myself, in this busy time of preparations for the holidays, is that we can find a few moments to be mindful, to see the presents… Continue reading Mindfulness: Being present to the gift in the moment

Sunshine

Abstract artistic watercolor painting sunshine colourful background

I think we are all susceptible, in these upsetting times, to feeling overwhelmed by bad tidings and dark news. Being stuck in mental darkness can be just as much a malady as a fever or a cold and can seem as hard to shake off.   Such a problem faces the heroine, Princess Sair, in… Continue reading Sunshine

New Gardens Out Ahead

I had doubts about becoming Catholic. It was 1999. I was enrolled in RCIA (the Catholic membership program for adults). I felt that it was time to join my husband and children in their faith, and I saw that my instructors in RCIA were people of genuine faith who did an impressive amount of service… Continue reading New Gardens Out Ahead

“Just Like My Love for You”

Monarch butterflies have had a special meaning for us ever since the death of my infant granddaughter Eliana.  The summer after she died, we saw Monarch butterflies everywhere, even though an unusual hard frost in Mexico, where the Monarch butterflies spend the winter, had killed most of the Monarch population only months before. When Eliana’s… Continue reading “Just Like My Love for You”

“God Will Take Care of You”

In 12 Step programs there is a step that talks about “being restored to sanity”. To me, sanity is serenity, and, like many people, my serenity has been in short supply these past few days. I have found myself anxious and fearful from a combination of the raging Pandemic, widespread joblessness and suffering, and waiting for the results of our Presidential election.

This morning, like a gift, the song “God will take care of you” was running through my mind when I awoke. It is an old, old hymn from my grandmother’s time. The lines are old-fashioned but I find them so reassuring right now: