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Knowing That You Care
I had a delightful surprise yesterday. The hospice where I volunteer as a minister to men who are caregivers and widowers asked me to co-facilitate a grief support group they had recently formed after over a year of not providing one. The first of eight meetings was yesterday. There were 22 attendees, plus the facilitator…
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Life Is Best When Lived In Pencil
Life is best when lived in pencil. Life is best when we accept and adapt to ournew realities. Life is best when we embrace the fact that our lives are not over. Aportion and chapter of our lives has ended, however, there is more to go. Life isbest when we realize we can be restored…
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New Beginnings
During the last four months of 2021, I was mourning the loss of my wife, Jan, to a fatal stroke after 26 months as an invalid resulting from three other strokes. I went to Tennessee to visit my sister two months after the funeral, and went to Colorado over Christmas to visit with my son…
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Winter Rain
It’s December in St. Louis, Missouri. Winter has arrived. With the winter comes days of winter rain. In years past, my wife and I actually enjoyed days like today (when we did not have to get outside). I’d light a fire. We’d make some tea or coffee, and just be together. Many people find days…
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Part 2: The Challenge
In an intimate relationship, and there is none more intimate than marriage, whatever is hidden will come to the surface. Jasmine and I had a solid relationship built upon the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ. But we are all uniquely different from one another, and if we are not careful, our differences can…
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What is My Purpose Now?
When I turned 30 years of age I went through a life crisis. I hated my job, had no clear goals, and did not know what I wanted to do. Consequently, I was drinking too much and was probably not much fun to be around for my wife and kids. One day after a particularly…
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Part 1: Like The Road To Hana
Driving the Road to Hana on the northeast coastline of Maui, Hawaii, can be treacherous. There are 617 hairpin turns and fifty-nine one-lane bridges. Carefully navigating this narrow winding road for sixty-four miles creates constant tension for the driver. It is hard to enjoy the tropical scenery while being transfixed on survival. The Road to…
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Game Plan…for a Better Tomorrow
The end of the year can be a tricky time for many people. The current state you are in may, at times, give way to the propensity to judge your entire existence by your present circumstances. Among the many teachings, I have been affected by is Dr. Eric Stoltz’s teaching “The Adversity Quotient.” When I…
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Epitaph – Words of Hope
Epitaph is defined as “words written in memory of a person who has died.” Sometimes it’s a phrase or a sentence that captures the essence of the person. An epitaph is frequently seen on a tombstone of someone who has passed away. It’s also the title of a beautiful poem by a woman named Merrit…
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Can We Go Home Again?
by Jim Winner. Hello friends. I haven’t written much lately. I’ve been lurking, watching, learning, and observing you, my brothers, on our collective paths. As of this writing, I am three years and three months into my journey. If there were a grief degree, I, like many of you, would hold a Ph.D. For the…
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