Heart Hope by Olga

Remembering 911 I would venture to say that every adult American living today would be able to say where they were on September 11, 2001. Our family had just celebrated the marriage of our daughter, Margaret, who was on her honeymoon in St. John’s where she and Billy watched the events unfold on foreign soil. My husband, Tommy had left town after the wedding for a business meeting in New York and although he usually stayed at the Twin Towers Marriott, he changed his plans at the last minute in order to be closer to his meeting. He watched the event live while eating breakfast from a top floor window and experienced New York City as a ghost town. Lynn was in her first year of teaching high school when word spread quickly through the building of the disaster. I was on a treadmill, trying to get in a few laps before heading to Mississippi for my beloved aunt Bibby’s burial. She died right before the wedding and since we were her closest relatives, we decided it was best to wait so...

Some of you will probably think I am crazy for what you are about to read and perhaps you are right, but I will share it with you anyway. This summer I attended the She Speaks conference put on by Proverbs 31 Ministries in North Carolina. I left home at 6:45 AM and arrived in Charlotte at 5:55 PM. The last shuttle to the hotel was supposed to leave at 6:00, so I rushed to the boarding spot and was there by 6:03, but the shuttle had already departed. I had previously been told that it could cost from $50-$75 for a cab, and since I had prepaid for the shuttle, I really did not want to spend the money to take a cab, so I began looking for other options. An airport attendant explained that all I had to do was take the city bus to the transportation center and then catch the express bus to Concord where the conference was being held--easy enough right??? At the bus stop a tattooed, pierced, scantily dressed young girl helped me figure out the process—I needed $1.75 in change and of course I...

My friend Ikie had her hip replaced less than a week ago. After having several experiences with hospitals and surgeries in recent months, I thought I would give her sometime to recover and get over all of the pain, drugs, and lack of sleep, so I was quite surprised when she called me today and sounded better than ever. She reported that her recovery had been a breeze and that she had even been “entertaining” friends. Ikie also informed me that she had learned some things from this experience that I thought were worth passing along. First of all, the people in her church had stepped up to the plate and had showered her with gourmet meals and cards of encouragement. I think the thing that astonished her most was getting meals from people that she hardly knew and cards from people she had never met. The impact that this had made her realize the importance of doing the same for others when they are suffering in some way. Since Ikie has been such an active and independent person, using the...