Words of Hope: Loving Father

My brother called last week. I picked up the phone and heard a choking cry. I panicked. “What’s wrong?!” I said. Jay wept hard into the phone, “I miss Dad.” We cried together for a while. We both miss...

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Words of Hope: Shooting Star

When Dad lay dying, I told him he would soon get to spend time with Sojourner Truth one of our favorite people. We never met Sojourner Truth, but we knew her story, and it changed us. Dad and I...

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Words of Hope: Master Teacher

Dad was a maverick and exceptional teacher. He grasped ways to make concepts understandable way before the science of pedagogy confirmed his teaching methods. Cookie jar, a way to help campers understand the mechanics of a proper follow-through when...

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Words of Hope: Next Generation

One of the verses Dad and I memorized together was Deuteronomy 4:7-9, a beautiful set of verses reminding parents to pass on what they have seen and witnessed as transformation from God to the next generations.  Dad and I often...

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Words of Hope: Pure Joy

The book of James says, "Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter trials of various kinds." Some translations say to consider trials, "pure" joy. I see life in pictures therefore when I imagine pure joy—I tend to...

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Words of Hope: Weather Man

Dad would say, "Imagine an elevator. Most of us have moods and emotions which take us up and down the elevator. But some people get off and live on certain floors. Some people, no matter what happens in their...

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Words of Hope: The Book of Peace

Shann had his first dream of my Dad last week. He had been wondering when he would have one. He woke up and told me, “Your Dad came to visit me in my sleep last night.” I immediately started...

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Words of Hope: Beauty over Utility

I have never loved flowers as a gift. They have always seemed to be an extravagance. I would rather Shann buy me a vacuum or a pair of shoes, something durable and useful. Dad rarely gave flowers when I...

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Words of Hope: Eternal Life

Last spring, I read Dad and Mom a beautiful short story from Anthony Doer’s book, Memory Wall. The story tells of a young girl who loses her family and must move from Kansas to a former Eastern Bloc country to...

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Words of Hope: Too Soon

I spoke to one of Dad's lifelong friends from California. They expressed sorrow because they did not get to say goodbye in person to Dad. My dear friend from Hawaii said the same thing. I felt very sad myself....

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