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Parenting is leadership. Leaders need courage. “Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” Elizabeth Stone, professor at Fordham University Our two sons, Cory and Jean Marc, are the pride and joy of our lives. Jocelyn's and my best decision was to have children and God blessed that decision. Our joy increased when Jean Marc married Angie and they had two daughters, Quinn Marie and Lena Grace. If parenting is a high calling, grandparenting is a high privilege. For almost 35 years, Dr. James Dobson and "family" have gone hand in glove.   Though Jocelyn and I never personally met Dr. Dobson, he was a…

Ten years ago, recovery workers at Ground Zero "were asking for meaning and purpose" during their thankless labour.  Where was God in the midst of the horror?   Two days after the 9/11 attack,  rescue worker Frank Silecchia, found two steel beams in the midst of the wreckage, fused together in the form of a cross.  That cross became a potent symbol of hope for rescue workers dragging bodies and human remains from the rubble.  Rev. Brian Jordan, a Franciscan monk, said, "You saw that cross and you knew that God never abandoned us."  Rich Sheirer, then New York’s director of the Office of Emergency Management and a self-described “short, round Jewish guy,” appreciated the cross. “Intellectually, you knew it’s…

The is the final two of the 17 rules to live by, by Og Mandino. Rule Sixteen... for a Better Way to Live: Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well through all the darkest valley you must traverse. Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the mountaintop. So will you learn things in adversity that you would never have discovered without trouble. There is always a seed of good. Find it and prosper. Rule Seventeen: Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and…

This is a continuation of a previous post... Rule Eleven... for a Better Way to Live: Laugh at yourself and at life. Not in the spirit of derision or whining self-pity, but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective that seemingly terrible defeat and worry with laughter at your predicaments, thus freeing your mind to think clearly toward the solution that is certain to come. Never take yourself too seriously. Rule Twelve: Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does…

Continued from previous post... Rule Six... for a Better Way to Live: Let your actions always speak for you, but be forever on guard against the terrible traps of false pride and conceit that can halt your progress. The next time you are tempted to boast, just place your fist in a full pail of water, and when you remove it, the hole remaining will give you a correct measure of your importance. Rule Seven: Each day is a special gift from God, and while life may not always be fair, you must never allow the pains, hurdles, and handicaps of the moment to poison your attitude and plans for yourself and your future. You can never win when you…

Og Mandino is the leading inspirational author in the world. He was once a 35-year old derelict who nearly spent his last dollars on a suicide gun. In 1990 he penned one of his final pieces of prose and entitled it, "A Better Way to Live." Its a summary of 17 rules he used to turn a down-and-out alcoholic into a millionaire.  Here are the first five rules. Rule One: Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you... with grace, strength,…

“The Little Red Book of Wisdom” had me from the dedication page. Mark DeMoss said he wrote this book “to thank my father and to prepare my boy and two girls in the way my father prepared me.” I the like the concept of the book even more than the content of the book and the content is pretty good. Much like Solomon, who collected wisdom proverbs for the benefits of his children, DeMoss collects his thoughts and experiences as a legacy for his children. I think every parent should do this. It’s a wise practice. That’s one of my takeaway’s from the book. The 190 pages makes it a short read but one from which I have a lot…

Issac…Jacob…Joseph – familiar Biblical names associated with faith. What else did these men have in common? Each of them died young at an old age. They experienced disappointment without bitterness. Faith that works will bring you to the end of your life believing not bitter. We’ve all seen it happen to people we know and love. They become bitter, angry, and filled with resentment because life didn’t turn out the way they thought it would. Isaac had the promise of a land of his own but he died without seeing it fulfilled. Jacob had the same promise and he died in Egypt. Joseph had the same promise but died in Egypt too. If ever any one had the right to…

I’ve always appreciated seniors. When I was a young girl, it was a day and age where we visited seniors’ homes to sing Christmas carols. During high school, I worked in the kitchen at a nursing home in Virginia, and still retain and recount fond memories of those times. I loved getting to know the people there and hearing about their lives. Getting to know people and their stories is probably my favorite activity of all. Seniors have great stories. Recently, I visited my father for his 80th birthday. He lives in a retirement center in Lansing, Michigan. For the week that I was there, I visited him daily, participated in some activities and got to know the staff and…

What does “living by faith,” mean to you? Standing on the edge of the CN tower held only by a harness? Flipping a light switch and knowing the light will turn on? Turning the key in the ignition and knowing the vehicle will start? Depositing money in the bank and knowing you can get it back when you want it. Jumping out of an airplane at 3,000 feet relying solely on a parachute packed by a complete stranger. Standing at the altar and saying “I do” to a lifetime commitment with a partner who is only slightly less imperfect than you are. Depending on the function of a muscle that must fire 9 billion times in the duration of a…