Table of contents for Aug/Sept 2021 in Guideposts

Editor-in-Chief I shouldn’t have been surprised. In the May issue, I wrote a piece about forgetting—or maybe not forgetting—to turn on Gracie’s collar light one night and how that led to a torrent of self-doubt about the state of my memory. Could it portend more dire developments, considering my family history of dementia? I wondered if other people shared that same fear for themselves or family members. I called the piece Forgetting to Remember and invited your comments. Boy, did you respond. You shared your experiences with your parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings and, most important, you shared about yourselves, your fears and your faith. I was humbled by the bravery of your stories, inspired by your honesty and deeply moved by the candor with which you revealed your own struggles…

REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE In March 2020, I was visiting my husband at his skilled nursing facility, and a nurse informed me that I would no longer be able to come by because of the pandemic. I drove home, worried about my husband and wondering how I would spend my time during the shelter-in-place orders. I am not one to initiate phone calls (except to my husband, whom I talked to daily), so I decided to call people for their birthdays. I phoned a neighbor who had cancer. He expressed his delight at receiving birthday wishes. I called members of my family and my church, as well as people from civic organizations I belong to. Although I hadn’t talked to some of my relatives in as long as a…

Me angry? I like to think I project calm and equanimity. But put me behind the wheel and—whoa! If someone cuts me off or drives unsafely…I even shock myself. Anger can pop up when we least expect, but as the Bible shows us, it’s part of human nature. Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers. (Matthew 21:12) Jesus was the Son of God but also human. Like us. He didn’t hold back when he threw the money changers out of the temple, reminding them that it was a house of prayer, not a “den of robbers.” His anger was justified, and ours can be too. But here’s the lesson: Direct your anger constructively. Don’t take…

Have we forgotten how to think? We read. We listen. We absorb information. But do we think? Do we even remember how? We’ve grown accustomed to near-constant stimulation—TV shows, movies, radio broadcasts, podcasts, video games, audiobooks, tweets, texts, notifications. But such stimuli seldom, if ever, encourage real thought. More often than not, we receive input without reflection. This deluge is one more reason to pray. Especially now. Because thinking is one of the many fruits of prayer. Here is how prayer practices encourage deep, careful and original thought: 1 Solitude When was the last time you heard someone say, “I need to be alone with my thoughts”? That phrase underscores solitude’s value. By following the wisdom and invitation of Jesus to “go off by ourselves to a quiet place” (Mark…

My husband’s leukemia—which we’d hoped was in remission—was back. Russ had undergone chemotherapy immediately after his diagnosis 11 months earlier and done so well. We’d even been making plans for a getaway. Now he had to go back on chemo. If only I had a sign—something—to assure me that God was still with us. Brrring! The phone rang. I worried it was the doctor, but it turned out to be my friend Roberta. She’d found a necklace at a vintage boutique. Knowing my penchant for anything monogrammed with an R, my first initial, she couldn’t resist. “I’m leaving it in a gold box on your welcome mat, Rita,” she said. “That’s so sweet,” I said but then changed the subject. Roberta was a nurse. She didn’t yet know about Russ’s…

I did it! Last November, I stood at the top of my forty-sixth Adirondack peak in less than four months, the breathtaking beauty of New York State’s Keene Valley spread before me. I raised my arms in triumph and took a deep breath of crisp mountain air. It doesn’t get much better than this. Over the years, I’d summitted every peak taller than 4,000 feet in the Adirondacks, joining a group known as the 46ers. What made today special was that I’d set a goal to do all 46 again in less than a year. Then nailed it within just a few months. A personal best! I’m big on focus and commitment. I’m a full-time literacy teacher, a Ph.D. student in education and a church organist. In my free time,…

My heart broke a little with each step my 18-year-old son took toward the white Volkswagen idling in the dark at the end of our neat suburban driveway. I’d never felt so powerless. He climbed into the car, his shoulders slumped. He looked so sad. I took my husband David’s hand and squeezed hard. Together we watched the taillights fade into the darkness. “What if we never see him again?” I said, my voice hoarse with emotion. “It was his decision,” David said slowly. “He knew the rules.” We’d given Tim every chance to get clean from drugs and alcohol. All we got in return were two years of lies and half-hearted attempts. Finally we told Tim that if he continued doing drugs he would have to move out. He…

During her husband Tony’s Army deployments, Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes (The List, page 56) copes by including him in daily routines like family prayer via FaceTime. She also does painting and photography. Her advice to those in similar situations? “Be sure to live a full life even when your spouse is deployed,” she says. “Make time for friends, family and yourself.” Although her career as a school principal was cut short after a brain hemorrhage 12 years ago, Katherine uses her experience in education to write curricula for children and women’s ministry programs. She also creates special-needs programs for churches to accommodate families with children who have mental and physical disabilities. “I grew up with a sibling who had special needs, and I saw how the lack of inclusion affected him and…

Get Boost your spiritual wellbeing! Visit guideposts.org for web-exclusive stories, life advice, prayer tips, recipes and more. Watch Harry Connick Jr. (page 38) talks about his new album, Alone With My Faith. Learn how faith helped shape this powerful work and how his songs can comfort after loss. Check out our exclusive video at guideposts.org/harryconnickjr. Explore Open yourself up to the wonderful world of biking! Bike shop owner George Turner (page 66) shares cycling’s mental health ben-efits and his tips for getting back on a bike and riding as a family. Visit guideposts.org/biking. Learn How can faith help heal the wounds of racism in our society? See how an unlikely friendship between Betty Kilby Fisher Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby (page 44) can take us a step in the right direction.…

I have known Elizabeth Sherrill since I started at Guideposts in 1984, but I knew her by reputation before that. To say I was in awe of her gifts as an editor and writer would be only a slight overstatement. She was the toughest editor I ever wrote for. When you thought you had done your best on a manuscript, Tibby—as we know her—was just getting started. She’d take your opus and cut it down to a one-pager. “This works nicely now, Rick.” Ouch! A hard way to learn but probably the best. And Tibby was the best. For all the lasting influence Tibby imparted to Guideposts in her nearly seven decades as a contributor, retiring only recently, she was thoughtful and reserved in her manner, quiet-spoken for a writer…

A DEBT REPAID It was so inspiring to read Roberta Messner’s story Debt Relief, about her medical debt journey, in the March 2021 Guideposts. Many years ago, I was in a similar situation. Even with health insurance, my medical debt was more than three times my annual income. Like Roberta, I was weighed down by stress. Thankfully, I was able to pay off my debt over time. But what about those who can’t? Did Roberta’s story make you wonder what you can do to help people struggling with medical debt? I came across the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt. Every $100 donation allows the organization to forgive $10,000 in medical debt for the neediest individuals and families. To learn more, visit ripmedicaldebt.org. I hope Roberta’s story gives readers with similar challenges…

“I believe that some obstacles…work out for the better because God knows that without those you wouldn’t be as strong as you are.”SIMONE BILES, the first U.S. gymnast to win four gold medals in one Olympics “Goodness isn’t hard to find, especially when you’re on the lookout.”ANNA E. RENDELL, author and digital content manager at (in)courage, an online inspirational community “Chance opportunities are really consequences of courageous acts of faith, conscious decisions to believe that good things can and will happen.”MARY ALICE MONROE, author “You did not get where you are overnight, and you won’t get where you want to go overnight either. Change takes time, and lasting change takes effort.”DAVID HOLLINGSWORTH, author of Get Out the Door!: How to Overcome Obstacles on the Road to High Performance “Sometimes you…

One of my favorite summer pastimes is going to the beach. The vastness of the ocean puts my problems in perspective and reminds me of God’s awesome power. One day a few years ago, I left my friends on the sand and went for a walk. Deep in thought, I headed down the beach. All of a sudden, it hit me that I was thirsty and needed shelter from the sun. But amid the sea of people and beach umbrellas, I couldn’t find my friends. With no cell phone or water, I continued to wander, increasingly desperate. That incident reminded me of the Israelites wandering the desert for 40 years. Freed after centuries of brutal slavery in Egypt, they believe they’ll soon reach the Promised Land. But somewhere along the…

Hardest thing you’ve ever done Raising two children who are now 23 and 21. What you do for your spiritual well-being I take a daily “thank you” walk. Gratitude floods your body and brain with uplifting hormones. You can’t be stressed and thankful at the same time. I also pray while I walk. Favorite Bible verse John 15. A surprising detail about you I’m not naturally positive. I have rewired my brain from negative to positive, and Jesus transformed my heart from living in fear to love. Q&A by Evan Miller. Find a longer version at guideposts.org/jongordon…

GOD’S BUSINESS 1 Thessalonians 4:11 was the subject of our Tuesday night Bible study. “Aspire to lead a calm and peaceful life as you mind your own business….” Mind your own business. The words sounded kind of harsh to me, but I couldn’t deny their truth. It is important to respect boundaries in relationships. Sometimes, though, it’s necessary to intervene. The key is knowing the difference. On Wednesday morning, my son, Mark, told me about a problem he’d been having. Ron, a friend of his since childhood, had borrowed Mark’s reciprocal saw weeks earlier and never returned it. “Ron lent my saw to someone who’s moving in a few days,” Mark said. “What if I never get it back? I don’t have the money to replace it!” By now, Mark’s…