Words of Hope: Reborn

My oldest daughter Natalya turned twenty-five Sunday. Dad was there for her birth. Shann, my Mom, Dad, and other friends waited in the comfortable birthing room and out in the lobby, waiting for my labor pains to come....

Continue reading →

Words of Hope: Release from darkness

I have been praying daily for the Christians kidnapped in Haiti. They were held by a murderous gang who wantonly killed children and adults unable to pay an exorbitant ransom. I felt frustrated with our government—why are we not...

Continue reading →

Words of Hope: Garment of Praise

Sorrow can feel like a heavy shroud. I sometimes feel suffocated by it if I allow my mind to think of no more time with Dad, no more calls, no more chats by the fire, or surprise trips. I...

Continue reading →

Words of Hope: Poetry

I wouldn’t say Dad loved poetry when he was younger, but he definitely grew to love poetry. We both found poetry more and more beautiful after knowing my husband, Shann. Shann did an MFA in poetry, and now our...

Continue reading →

Words of Hope: Love must be Sincere

Dad believed fully what Mother Teresa said, “Christ’s love is always stronger than evil in the world… this kind of love begins at home. We cannot give to the outside what we do not have on the inside.” One...

Continue reading →

Words of Hope: The Incarnation

Shann, my husband, had a book interview last week. His interviewer had respect for Shann's faith but also incredulity. How could Shann, a learned scholar, researcher of genocide, atomic theory, clinical and neuropsychology, consider the incarnation possible? The interviewer...

Continue reading →

Words of Hope: IS

I have been wrestling with language around my Dad’s death. I don’t like to say I lost my Dad because I didn’t lose him. I have full confidence I know where he is. I don’t like to say; my...

Continue reading →

Words of Hope: A Beautiful Mind

I opened my journal from 2017, where I had listed concerns I had during that time. They seem so trivial in light of my current point of view. Dad told he experienced this in his life; how past woes...

Continue reading →

Words of Hope: Relationship Over Rules

Dad disliked rules over relationships. In our home, he cared more that there was love in our hearts for God than if we went to church or read the Bible. If I read the Bible because I was forced...

Continue reading →

Words of Hope: Perfectly Teachable

After watching thousands of athletes at NBC Camps, Dad said the two most dangerous emotions which hurt any athlete are arrogance and fear. Those emotions are the opposite of humility. Insolent athletes think they know it all; timid athletes...

Continue reading →