Heart Hope by Olga

A year or two ago, my granddaughter Molly's favorite word seemed to be NO. You would ask her just about anything and the answer was probably going to be no. It might be said in different ways, such as an emphatic NO. Or sometimes it was a whiny no. And oftentimes it was a musical noooooo. Whenever she was in that kind of mood, I would laughingly tell her that no must be her favorite word and that would always get a no answer. One morning I suggested that we count how many times she said the word in a day. We didn't have to count long, only about ten minutes to count 14. One, two, three....fourteen in only ten minutes. We both laughed as the number grew. The conversation would go a bit like this. Molly lets get dressed for school. No.  Do you want to wear pants or a skirt? No. Would you like a snack to take to school? No. Answering with the word no had become a habit for Molly. She didn't always mean it, but it was her way of expressing independence. I'm

The Xterra Games have been in town again. My position was to cheer on the runners and make sure that they took the correct path at the mid point of the run. After all they had already completed the one mile swim, an eighteen mile bike ride and a half of the 10k run and probably needed a bit of encouragement. I wouldn't have been able to do even one portion of the event with the cold water, the long distances and the steep terrain, but I could be a cheerleader for those who chose to push their bodies with torture and I could help guide them to the right route. In our Christian walk we too need encouragement. It's easy to get weary and worn out when working for the Lord. I am so glad that God has given me friends and family to be my cheerleaders. They provide positive words when needed, they pray for me, they guide me and they even scold me and let me know that I should be taking care of myself and not just taking care of others. Everyone needs a least one person

Who wouldn't want to visit here? It's tourist season. I've seen them all around town--in the stores, in the roundabouts, at the events, even in the neighborhood. This week, pulling out of our area on my way to church, I spotted a multigenerational group of about 10 people blocking the gated exit that I needed to go through. The oldest man stuck out his hand motioning for me to stop. My thoughts were not pleasant; instead I wished that he would just get his group to move so that I wouldn't have to stop. Why did they have to stop in the middle of the road? Couldn't they congregate on the grass? Don't they know the common courtesies of the road? Once they had moved, I quickly became ashamed of my unkind thoughts for several reasons. First, since I was on my way to church and yet I was not exhibiting behavior that would please my Savior. And second, as I surveyed the group I noticed a bald child who was obviously undergoing chemotherapy. The group ma

Our final words can be so important. I have shared my Daddy's final words often and so since tomorrow August 2nd would have been his 86th birthday I thought it would be fitting to share them with you, so they can offer hope and encouragement:  My once healthy father lay sick in a hospital bed when just a few weeks before he had been the picture of health… until he suffered from a collapsed lung. Daddy had acquired the unthinkable while in the hospital to have the lung repaired—a staph infection. When I traveled from Texas to Mississippi to visit him, the diagnosis had not been made, but we did know that he was something was terribly wrong. My beloved father was a man of integrity, loved by all who knew him, and every night I would see him kneeling beside his bed in prayer, but he never talked about his faith. It always bothered me that he would ask if I had been to the dentist or if I had been to have my eyes checked, but he never asked me about my relationship with the