Words of Hope: Love is Patient

My Dad had an abusive father, and so did my Mom. My Mom was born in November of 1941. A few weeks after she was born, Pearl Harbor was attacked. Her father left to fight in Papa New Guinea...

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Words of Hope: Worthy of Imitation

My good friend was in town on a recruiting trip, and he stayed with Shann and me. He loved Dad and considered Dad in many ways a second father. He lost his mom, and we discussed how the grief...

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Words of Hope: Never Bored

Dad hated the phrase, “I’m bored.” He believed great coaching, teaching, and parenting never allowed for boredom. He believed it was the responsibility of the teacher and the student to work together to create exciting learning opportunities. Erin Westgate,...

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Words of Hope: Thanksgiving

Dad was masterful at creating meaningful moments. At Thanksgiving, the TV would be off, there would be intentional time for grateful reflection, and there would be great food and laughter. During the Thanksgiving meal, we would talk about gratitudes...

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Words of Hope: People of the Way

Dad hated God when he was young. He vowed he would never pray or cry again after his Mom died. He was filled with anger and turned away from God. Then through a series of events, my Mom became...

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Words of Hope: Great is Thy Faithfulness

Dad and I memorized Lamentations 3:22-23 together, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fails, it is new every morning- great is His faithfulness."  There is a hymn called "Great is Thy faithfulness."...

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Words of Hope: The Age of Enragement​

My Dad’s father loved rage as a tool to solve problems. Dad desired to learn to be gentle. He sought out gentle men as mentors to help him learn how to navigate difficulty without getting angry. He and I...

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Words of Hope: Fun Dad

Dad was a very fun dad. He enjoyed games. He loved playing with my brother and me. When I was little, Dad and I would always have a game of hide and seek. Mom would assist me in hiding...

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Words of Hope: The Sin of Criticism

Last December, Dad and I read sections of “The Violence Within” by Paul Tournier aloud to each other. Tournier believed that criticism was a form of violence that burdened the relationship. According to Tournier, criticism removes unconditional love and...

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Words of Hope: You are a Miracle

Dad delighted in people. Wherever he went, he made lifelong friends. On the day he died, I called many people whose numbers were on his phone to say goodbye. If we missed you, I am very sorry. One family...

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