Aug
31
2022
When Dad was younger, he could easily provoke people into frustration. He loved to induce people to anger, especially on the basketball court. He intentionally wanted to press his opponent to be rattled by him or his team. He...
Aug
30
2022
I was rereading Dad’s Words of Hope on anxiety he wrote on April 21, 2021. He discusses lessons learned from nurse Laurie who served with Hospice for many years. Dad asked Laurie about the differences between those who die...
Aug
29
2022
I recently went to a memorial, and one of the main verses was Ecclesiastes 7:2. I took time to look at this verse in various translations. The King James version says, "Sorrow is better than Laughter; for by the...
Aug
26
2022
I was traveling through the Denver airport recently when I noticed I was drinking from a bottle that wasn't mine. Someone else had left a half-open water bottle near me, and somehow, I had mistakenly started drinking from it—something...
Aug
25
2022
My Dad valued people from all walks of life. He thanked and honored those many would overlook. He believed in leaving places better than when you found them. He honored janitors and housekeeping staff. He would thank each person...
Aug
24
2022
If you fly to Oklahoma City, you will see a famous quote by Will Rogers: "Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment."
Dad was a phenomenal teacher of good judgment for Jay and...
Aug
23
2022
Shann is a forgiveness researcher. I was listening to a lecture in which he enumerated the physical benefits of forgiveness— a more robust immune system, lower heart disease, lower cancer, lower autoimmune diseases, and lower anxiety, to name a...
Aug
22
2022
When my Dad was ill during the last weeks of his life, he mostly lay on his back. His cancer treatment medication caused him to gain weight rapidly through the 12-plus years he was on it. It slowed his...
Aug
19
2022
When I feel the deep ache of loss and start feeling sad about Dad being gone, I go back to the fundamentals. I go back to the basics; Dad taught: solitude and gratitude. I discipline myself to get alone...
Aug
18
2022
Contentment has been a hard-fought lesson for me and also for Dad. He wrestled with finding contentment even in illness. I have been on a long journey as a student of contentment. Part of this journey happened years ago...
