Focused Feelings

Dad didn’t like it when I asked him how he felt. He instead preferred me to ask what he was learning from God or what he wrote about in Words of Hope. He lived daily with pain and discomfort. When people asked how he felt, it brought him back to the reminder that he did not feel good. When people asked him what he felt passionate about, he didn’t focus on his pain or discomfort.

Dad loved to think about Words of Hope— this was a tremendous diversion for him because it placed him in the center of his life meaning. His summarized life purpose statement was to love God and to love others. Writing Words of Hope for so many years allowed him to meditate and listen to God as he shared what he learned throughout life.

My dad’s book, Words of Hope, has been out now for one year, and I hear stories of people who love to read from it daily. One sweet memory is of my niece, who is in elementary school. She was heading on a travel excursion. The one item she insisted on bringing was her papa’s Words Of Hope which is not an easy or light book to lug around. It did not matter to her as she found great value in bringing the book with her. I am thankful knowing Dad’s words are with us always. In a small refractive way, it reminds me of my Heavenly Father’s words and carries His words with me always.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” – Psalm 119:105