Words of Hope: The First to Apologize is the Bravest

The ancient parable entitled "The Wager" by some is an old tale of selfishness and refusal to change with counterparts of the same theme told worldwide. It reveals our demand to be correct. Here is a modernized retelling. A husband and...

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Words of Hope: The Generational Journey

When I first met Shann’s father Tom, he seemed very distant. We would enter the house after having traveled far to get there, and Tom would remain on the couch and give us a two-finger greeting while continuing to...

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Words of Hope: The Forgiveness Journey- Part 2

One of my Dad’s and my favorite writers, Henri Nouwen writes, “Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven...

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Words of Hope: The Forgiveness Journey- Part One

Forgiveness is the willingness to start a journey by faith with the hope what currently feels impossible will become possible. We often drove to Edmonton, Alberta, from Spokane when Shann and I were newly married. This long road trip afforded...

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Words of Hope: Dad’s Great Gift

Of all the things my dad taught, one of my favorite and the most powerful has been forgiveness. Because of Dad’s influence, Shann became a researcher on forgiveness.   During his research and work with forgiveness stories around the world, Shann...

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Words of Hope: Loving what the Beloved Loves

Shann loves loud music. He likes to feel the sound and hear the music throughout his entire body. I don’t love loud music. It is a trigger of anxious feelings in me. Dad hated loud music. Loud music was...

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Words of Hope: RPE4FJC

My brother and I made some rocks to give at the Celebration of Life with the letters RPE4FJC. RPE stands for Relentless Pursuit of Excellence-one of Dad’s favorite reminders. Excellence means greatness or distinction, to tower above. Relentless means...

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Words of Hope: Always

I cannot express how grateful I am that my Dad was a student of loving well. He made it his life mission to love God and love people. Part of this relentless pursuit of loving with excellence was to...

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Words of Hope: The Choice

Getting ready for the Celebration of Life was difficult and joyful. As our family gathered together to sing, we could feel the tensions and emotions rising. I became intense because I wanted the song to be sung in the...

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Words of Hope: A Life of Hope

When I look back on my Dad's Words of Hope, I am proud of the work he did, which wasn't so much the words of hope he wrote but the words of hope he lived. We can be inundated...

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