Table of contents for September 2015 in Guideposts

It was late last spring when I finally got around to liberating my Weber grill from its sheltered spot on the back porch, Millie, my big golden, close at hand. To her, the Weber is like an altar—grilled steaks, chicken, burgers and hot dogs come from it, feasts from which she is never excluded. I yanked off the protective cover and tossed it in the yard to be hosed down. Then I lifted the top, only to be taken completely by surprise: Birds had built a nest, since abandoned, in the kettle. I thought I could detect flecks of shell. Amazing. The birds must have gained entry through the vents in the bottom. What hard work to establish such a haven, safe from the elements and from predators. And clever.…

Great people do things before they’re ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you’re afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that— that is what life is.” actress and comedian AMY POEHLER “We do not need to see eye to eye to walk arm in arm.” submitted by Guideposts reader CAROLEE STEVENS, of San Diego, California “The best things are never arrived at in haste. God is in no hurry; his plans are never rushed.” novelist MICHAEL PHILLIPS “The only preparation for tomorrow is the right use of today.” from God’s Little Instruction Book “Mistakes are better learned from than punished.” RAYMOND VATH, M.D., founding board member of Mercy Corps “A thankful heart is not easily discouraged.” submitted by Guideposts…

tHIS IS CRAZY. CRAZY! I TOSSED the paintbrush aside, disgusted with myself, and glanced at the clock. After midnight. I’d been in my studio for six hours straight and all I’d managed to paint was a flat, dull image with skewed proportions, hard lines and sloppy color mixtures. Painting #32. My Waterloo. Crazy, I thought again. Crazy that I’d convinced myself I could paint—and sell—50 paintings in 50 days. Crazy, maybe, that I considered myself an artist at all. Yet the urge to paint these 50 pieces was so overpowering that it could not have come from me. I couldn’t have decided this for myself or ignored the feeling’s almost primal insistence. I guess you could say I’d been a struggling artist all my life, even the many years when…

There was a loud knock at the door of the parsonage. Odd. It was a weekday afternoon, not a time people usually dropped by. We didn’t have any church activities scheduled. I was the only one there. Probably a parishioner. I opened the door without even asking who it was. Standing before me was a stranger, a hulking man, rough around the edges. “Pastor, I need money,” he said. “Can I come inside?” The parsonage was tucked behind the church in a small yard below street level, surrounded by shade trees. “It’s a beautiful day,” I said. “Why don’t you sit at the picnic table and I’ll fetch us some cold water? Then we’ll talk.” It wasn’t uncommon for transients to find their way to historic Union Congregational Church in…

Remaining socially and mentally engaged has alleviated her husband Bob’s symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, Luanne Bole-Becker says. She’s onto something. Research has shown that talking to people with dementia about their lives creates positive emotions, reduces stress and improves their quality of life. A wonderful way to connect with your loved ones is by capturing and preserving their memories. Here are tips from the experts at Home Instead Senior Care on how to make it a fulfilling experience for everyone involved: • Ask open-ended questions. Dementias typically erode short-term memory first, so it’s often rewarding to recall events from further in the past. Try questions like “What did you do for fun when you were little?” or “What was your favorite job?” Work up to deeper questions like “What are…

1¼ cups water 1 cup large pearl couscous ½ cup dried cranberries 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 tablespoon lemon zest 2 tablespoons lemon juice 4 tablespoons good olive oil 1 teaspoon sea salt ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted In a small saucepan, bring water to boil and add couscous. Cover and simmer on low for 8 minutes (grains should be firm, not mushy). Cool and mix in cranberries, parsley, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and salt. Place in a serving bowl and top with almonds. Serves 4. Note: For a super-healthy variant, make quinoa salad. This ancient wonder food is packed with protein. Substitute 1 cup quinoa for the couscous and cook in 2 cups water. Just cook a little longer, about 15 minutes.…

HELP IN HEALING I was deeply moved by Patti Ansuini’s unique bond with her horse Kitty Silverwings (February 2015) and how it helped her battle Stage 4 throat cancer. In 2012 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. Throughout my illness, my three dogs and cat never left my side. Petey, a cocker spaniel mix, would snuggle close to where I had the most pain. Once I felt strong enough to get out more, my friend’s dog Jack always greeted me with enthusiasm, which helped to perk me up. I’m glad Guideposts shares stories about our special relationships with animals. Their love and compassion help us through our hardest times. MIRELLE ROSE Scottsdale, Arizona UNDERSTANDING TOURETTE I’m the mother of three children who have Tourette syndrome. It meant so…

The People’s Pope Are you as excited as we are about the Pope’s visit to America this month? Pope Francis, the fourth pope to journey to this country, will spend five days here, making stops in Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia. Learn more at guideposts.org/pope-francis. An Inspiring Act In our exclusive video, classically trained actor David Oyelowo (page 28) shares the way his faith influences the roles he takes on and how he hopes to change Hollywood. Watch it at guideposts.org/oyelowo. Got Prayer? Give your spiritual life a boost with this collection of favorite prayers, chosen by our readers. Find it at guideposts.org/favoriteprayers. Destination Inspiration Vacation season may almost be over, but you can get a final taste of summer adventure with Senior Digital Editor Brooke Obie’s stunning photos…

I WAS STILL GRIEVING THE death of my son when the most wonderful thing happened to me involving honey. I needed it recently for a new recipe, and after searching my cupboard I realized I didn’t have any. I wrote it down on my shopping list for the big-box store. I wasn’t sure I could use the entire half-gallon they offered, but the price was reasonable, so I made the purchase. As I set it in my cupboard, lo and behold, I found the small jar I’d been looking for earlier. Two days later I had lunch with an acquaintance who, unbeknownst to me, kept bees. Thanking me for some advice I’d given him, he brought me two quart-size jars of honey. Then I spoke at a breast-cancer-awareness luncheon. One…

THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS I don’t do—cry (very easily, at least) and dance (I mean it!). But then I went to Arizona. To Phoenix Children’s Hospital, to be exact, for a fun event thrown not too long ago by the Guideposts Comfort Kits team and starring Sparkle (more on Sparkle in a second). The Comfort Kits program is for children who are hospitalized or undergoing medical treatment. It’s one of Guideposts’ most important outreach programs. The kits are truly wonderful, like hope and comfort in a box. Each one contains crayons and stickers, a stress ball and other toys, a CD of soothing music, a journal, a prayer card and Sparkle, a plush toy in the shape of a smiling star. Kids love Sparkle. The Comfort Kits team…

A FEW YEARS AFTER ARRIVING in Hollywood, I was sitting in my living room one afternoon reading scripts. Even back then, long before I became known for playing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the movie Selma, I got sent scripts. Many actors do. The problem was I had to turn most of them down because they felt like caricatures or stereotypes of who black people are. I got another kind of script too. I’ve always been forthright about my Christian faith. The instant moviemakers know you’re open to faith-based projects, they send scripts for Christian movies. Of course I yearned for roles in films that were life-affirming, redemptive and godly. And my wife, Jessica, and I had two kids at the time, with another on the way, so we…

MY BIKE RIDE TO WORK IS the most peaceful part of my day. I have a demanding job in Silicon Valley— vice president of global customer operations for the social-networking company LinkedIn. I ride along bike trails beside San Francisco Bay with sweeping views of wetlands and forested hillsides. It’s my time to think, to pray, to get some fresh air before plunging into 10-plus hours of meetings, video conferences and e-mails. This past winter, my dad died and that peacefulness vanished. Dad was 81. His death took all of us—Mom, me, my four siblings—by surprise. He was a Kansas farmer, vigorous and dedicated to the land. He farmed right up until his heart gave out. I missed Dad intensely. My first days back at the office, I sat at…

POWER IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES TOO MUCH TO ASK? Every month was an adventure with our family budget. We had to get creative if we wanted to pay the bills and support me, my husband, our three sons and my father-in-law. We found ways to cut corners or make things last. If we weren’t using something ourselves anymore we tried to sell it. There was never a penny left over for extras. “I wish we could go on that family church retreat,” I told my husband, Morris, one Sunday. “The kids would love it—and I think Carl would get a lot out of it.” My father-in-law had never been one for church. But lately, to our surprise, he’d begun to show interest in learning about our faith. He’d talked to…

PRAYER CARDS My daughter puts any greeting cards sent to her family in a basket by their dinner table. Each night before saying grace they choose a card and pray for the sender. I was in a terrible accident this year that required surgery and several months of recovery. I was moved by the get-well cards I received. So many of my friends wrote long messages of encouragement and told me they were praying for me. I wanted to repay them for their kindness. Inspired by my daughter, I put all the cards in a big manila envelope by my bed and each night I took one out. My husband and I took turns reading them aloud and then we’d pray for the sender’s well-being. When I told my friends,…

IT WASN’T JUST BEING LAID OFF from my woodworking job of 10 years. I felt like my whole life had been downsized. My wife, Becky, and I lost the house we loved to foreclosure. Now we rented a much smaller place across town. I’d been unemployed for two months, and even with Becky working we hardly had enough for essentials. Today’s trip to the grocery store was depressing. “Things will work out,” Becky tried to reassure me. Shaking my head, I turned onto our new street. That’s when I noticed a wiry boy with shaggy blond hair, maybe 12 years old, on the sidewalk. He pushed a lawnmower with one hand and carried a weed trimmer with the other. “He sure is young to be working that hard,” Becky said.…

IT ALL STARTED WITH STRETCH marks. I settled into my seat on the bus on a cold March morning and stared at my phone. “More than half of all pregnant women get them—tiny tears that appear in the skin as it’s pulled tight,” I read on a new app I’d downloaded, based on the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I was four months pregnant with my first child and full of questions. My 40-minute commute to the University of Pittsburgh, where I worked, was my time to research. I tapped the screen and continued reading. “If your mother got stretch marks, chances are you will too.” My mother? Which one? There was Mom, who had raised me since I was two weeks old. Then there was Christine, my…

I WANDERED INTO THE KITCHEN. For the first time in my adult life I didn’t have a job to go to. After 31 years as a senior editor at a national magazine I’d been let go. “What do I do now?” I wondered aloud. In the back of my mind I could hear my father’s voice. “Elinor, all you have to do is open two packets of yeast and put them in your mixing bowl.” I remembered the day I’d first heard that advice. Another time when I’d felt lost. I was 12 and had come home from school to find Dad in the kitchen. He was an art professor at the University of North Carolina, but that day he didn’t have afternoon classes. So he took over our family’s…

Mark Hirsch’s Facebook tribute to The Old Bur Oak Tree (page 58) continues to attract and inspire followers. “It just amazes me how people connect with the tree in a spiritual way,” Mark says. In August a couple renewed their vows in the shade of the 165-year-old oak. The tree looks a little different now—it lost two large branches during a June storm. But it’s still standing strong, and an arborist assured Mark that it will be fine. See new photos at facebook.com/photosofthat tree. Mark’s book, That Tree, a collection of the photographs from his yearlong project, is available at thattree.net. Ineeded to reinvent myself after losing my job and I knew I wanted to combine my three passions: France, food and travel,” says Elinor Griffith (Meals With Meaning, page…