Table of contents for Aug/Sept 2022 in Guideposts

I’m trying to write this editor’s note while sitting on my back porch on an impeccable summer’s day, but Gracie, our golden, keeps bringing me her ball to throw. I type a few words, pick up the ball she drops expectantly at my feet, toss it, then type a few more words. So if this note reads a bit choppy, you’ll know why. I’m not complaining. As veterinarian Marty Becker reminds us in this issue’s cover story, we are blessed to have these creatures in our lives and must always be attuned to their needs. My boyhood poodle, Pete, loved the car. But whenever we ventured within a half mile of his vet, Pete would tremble uncontrollably. If only we’d known then what Dr. Becker would later learn for himself:…

PRESCRIPTION FOR KINDNESS I dialed the pharmacy’s number, hoping the call to refill my prescription would be a quick one. I had more important tasks on my to-do list. I spent 15 minutes on hold before someone picked up. “Date of birth?” The voice was so monotone that I thought it was a recording. I answered the question. After a long pause, I heard, “It will be at least two hours before I can get to this. I’m the only one working here today.” That monotone was no recording, just the voice of the exhausted, overwhelmed pharmacist. As she started to apologize, I stopped her. She sighed, clearly expecting an earful. Instead, I told her, “I want to thank you for everything you do. I know being short-staffed makes your…

Best advice you’ve ever gotten From my mother: “When you don’t know what to do and are at a crossroads, pray for wisdom!” What you do daily for your spiritual well-being Ride my bicycle! One of my greatest joys is to ride to Rock Creek Park, in Washington, D.C., sit by the water and read Scriptures. A surprising detail about you Around the house, I am very quiet. People ask my son, “Your dad must talk all the time at home, huh?” His response is nope. His mom is the big talker! Favorite Bible verse Psalm 34. Find a longer version at guideposts.org/willie-jolley…

1. Remember that pets have a full range of emotions, including fear, joy, happiness, jealousy, pleasure, compassion, grief, relief, sadness, despair and love. 2. Dogs pick up on our anxiety. When you’re taking a pet to the vet, don’t use baby talk and coddle it. This amps up their own anxieties. 3. Pets communicate with us through voice, body language and overall demeanor. You have an obligation to connect with your pet in any way you can. 4. Understand your pet, and allow it to be what it is. Retrievers want to retrieve. Let them retrieve. Terriers want to dig. Let them dig. 5. Never allow your pet to get into extreme distress. Use distractions, a compression shirt for dogs, calming music or prescribed medication, if needed.…

North Berwick, Maine I arrived at the Edgewood Centre, just over the state line in New Hampshire, at 9 A.M. sharp. It was my first day at the senior care facility as a licensed nursing assistant (or LNA) trainee. I had no idea what to expect. “Good morning, Allie,” the human resources director said. “You’ll be reporting to the south wing.” I tried to act unfazed, but I think I gasped. The south wing. That was the dementia ward. I had seen the residents who had Alzheimer’s. Their vacant expressions. Their stiffness. I’d heard they could be unpredictable, aggressive—mean even. I didn’t think I could connect with any of them. And if I couldn’t connect with them, how could I take good care of them? I forced a smile. “Great,”…

My repair project went well. I did the best work that I could. I even got a compliment from a neighbor on it. Thanks for praying. —M Thank you for the prayers. Our flight was able to take off, and we got here safely. —LISA My dad has been battling long Covid. This is a slow journey, and we have been praying for small victories as we go along. His echo-cardiogram results were good! That relieved us of a huge worry. —KATIE Thank you, God, for surrounding me with the peace that surpasses understanding. —KAREN From our website visitors. Share your answered prayer at guideposts.org/answeredprayers…

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada BEDTIME BENEDICTION I’m the kind of person who likes to be prepared for anything that might go wrong. Even on vacation, it can be hard for me to relax. One weekend, we rented a condo in the mountains, a getaway for my husband, our two daughters and me. As soon as we arrived, I made sure to walk through the place and pray for protection over every room. That still didn’t stop me from waking with a jolt during our first night there. I opened my eyes. Where am I? I looked around the dark room, trying to get my bearings. Oh, right, we’re in the mountains…. I could tell my husband was fast asleep beside me. Then I thought, What about the girls? Our daughters were…

LIFE-CHANGING TRIP Make a difference in someone else’s life, and your own life will be transformed. Just ask Jim Gash, author of Saving Henry, a story in the October 2011 issue of GUIDEPOSTS. I caught up with Jim recently. A dozen years ago, Jim went to Uganda as part of the global justice project at Pepperdine University, where he taught law. He planned to offer legal counsel to kids who’d been stuck in a juvenile detention center, prepare briefs, sightsee and come home. That was it. Then he met Hillary “Henry” Tumwesige, a 16-year-old boy who’d been wrongly imprisoned. Henry served as Jim’s translator and talked about his dreams for the future. As a child, he’d wanted to be a pilot, but prison made him aware of the acute…

“At the center of faith is a mystery beyond understanding, which is to say, beyond expression.”SAM WATERSTON, actor “We’re not all meant to look and act and think exactly the same. God demonstrates his glory through diversity and the different gifts and personalities of his followers.”MANDISA, gospel singer “Don’t mistake moving for progressing. You can get just as weary going nowhere as you can going somewhere.”CHARLOTTE GAMBILL, speaker and coauthor of Dare to Be “I ask God for guidance. I don’t push. I embrace patience. I know that God acts in his own time.”SONYA CURRY, mother of NBA great Steph Curry, from her book, Fierce Love: A Memoir of Family, Faith and Purpose “It’s never too late. Forgiveness is always right there.”KELLY ROWLAND, singer, on reconnecting with her father after…

I look back on my formal education with mostly good feelings. There were so many positive, exciting experiences—from elementary school all the way through grad school. But calculus? I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that anymore. Still, I consider myself a lifelong student. In particular, I want to keep myself open to learning from God. Getting older does not automatically mean that we are getting wiser. We have to work at it. A regular practice of reading the Bible, praying and listening for God’s response are good places to start. But we have to do more than go through the motions. While memorizing Scripture can soothe and inspire us, learning from God requires constant rethinking and refocusing. It requires asking questions. God is not intimidated by them; in…

I sat in the car, tapping the steering wheel as I waited for my wife and our daughter, Raegan. We had a lot of miles to cover, and we needed to get going. It was the summer before Raegan’s senior year of high school. Time for her to pick a college. She knew she wanted to study social work and stay in the state—much to my wife’s and my relief—but that was about it. So we’d planned a three-day road trip to visit Raegan’s top choices: the University of Illinois Chicago, Northern Illinois University and Illinois State University. College was a big decision, one that could determine the course of Raegan’s life. I wanted to be sure she made the right choice. “Please, God,” I prayed, “give this worried dad…

Woolwich Township, New Jersey “Hello, may I speak to Tonya May?” I didn’t recognize the voice on the phone. Must be a telemarketer. They even used my maiden name, and I’d been married for more than a decade. “Tonya, this is Jen Haas from Highland High School.” I thought for a second, then remembered. Jen and I had been members of our school’s chorale more than 20 years earlier. Jen went on, “I don’t know if you remember me, but recently I was diagnosed with ALS. I have three to five-years to live. I’m reaching out to people I need to make things right with before I die. I feel terrible about what happened between us.” Before I could respond, Jen hurried through the memory of a time when she…

Build a relationship. Invest the time to get to know the person. “Don’t take over everything right away,” says Eichenberger. “Ease into an assisting, supporting and encouraging role. Ask the person for help doing things. That way you build mutual trust.” Encourage independence. “A person living with dementia is grappling with losing the ability to do so much,” Eichenberger says. “Try setting them up for success.” For instance, even if they have forgotten how to brush their teeth, they may be able to do it with a few verbal or visual cues. Learn their life history. “Always remember that they were a person before they had dementia,” says Eichenberger. “They still have likes and dislikes.” For example, if you learn that the person was an avid golfer, you can incorporate…

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 That word fear here used to shake me up. It made me wonder, Do I have to be afraid of God to grow in wisdom? Not at all. I’ve come to see how fear in this context means “wonder and awe.” Our world is full of distractions. We’re barraged with information on our phones and computers. How to make sense of it all? This verse reminds me to put first things first. The rest will follow. I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8 We learn from God through Scripture and prayer. I used to start my day with the…

* Pet-Care Tips From an Expert Does your pet dread going to the vet? Or have separation anxiety? Veterinarian and author Dr. Marty Becker (page 24) is here with his best pet-care tips. Our exclusive video with “America’s Veterinarian” will give you hands-on techniques for comforting your pet during stressful situations. Visit guideposts.org/martybecker * Corrie ten Boom on Forgiveness In this GUIDEPOSTS Classic from 1972, the author of The Hiding Place recalls forgiving a guard at the concentration camp where her sister died. You can read this popular story, and many other GUIDEPOSTS Classics, on our website. Go to guideposts.org/corrietenboom * Reach Out We value your loyalty. Customer Service is here to answer your questions or comments as well as help you manage your account and subscriptions. Contact us at guideposts.org/ecares. * Subscribe…

My dog, QT Pi (“Cutie Pie”), tucked his little white paws under his body and trembled in my arms. As a veterinarian at VCA North Idaho Animal Hospital, I’m usually the one easing pet parents’ fears, but on that day six years ago, I couldn’t calm my own. Or my dog’s. QT Pi is my heart dog, the one who always wants to be by my side. A Chihuahua–Jack Russell–dachshund mix, he is two dogs long and a half dog tall. I’d adopted him from a litter of shelter puppies that had distemper. He had spent a week in intensive care at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, my alma mater. Afterward, I had taken care of him at home. Now I’d brought QT Pi to the clinic for…

Tallahassee, Florida There was no mistaking the excitement in my father’s voice. “I saw an abandoned Studebaker in the woods where I grew up,” he told me over the phone. “It’s the same truck I rode in when I was a boy. I was hoping you could photograph it for me.” I took a deep breath, hoping Dad wouldn’t sense my reluctance. It had been more than a year since I’d had surgery to repair the detached retina in my left eye, but I still couldn’t see clearly. Things were fuzzy, indistinct, like what a nearsighted person sees without glasses. Not the sharp vision I needed to pursue my retirement dream of being an artistic photographer, the kind whose work gets published in photography magazines. My passion was shooting high-definition,…

CSLB 1082165 NSCB0082999 0083445 Safe Step Tubs have received the Ease-of-Use Commendation from the Arthritis Foundation How to help avoid slips and falls while enjoying a bath. The bathroom continues to be a major Tsource of serious accidents. According to the CDC, all age groups are affected. However, seniors and people with limited mobility due to arthritis or muscle weakness are more vulnerable to broken hips, concussions, and other critical injuries caused by slips, loss of balance, or tripping. One effective solution: replace your old, dangerous tub. With its high sides, awkwardly placed faucets, slick bottom, and hard surfaces, the standard bathtub can be a prime cause of bathroom injuries. Seeking a safer alternative, many concerned families are replacing their old tub with a new Safe Step Walk-In Tub. Designed…

My four-year-old grand-daughter, Calleigh, welcomed me home from a business trip with a “letter” she’d written while I was gone—a page of colorful scribbles and swirls. I asked her to read it to me. She said, “Dear God, I love God. No, wait. I’ll start again. Dear Crappaw, I love Crappaw. Thank you for giving me a good day. I love Crappaw. Dear Calleigh.” I saved the letter and wrote down her words. I treasure them. Jesus depicted prayer as something like a child approaching a loving parent or grandparent. Our efforts may be simple, even primitive. That’s not a disadvantage. However grown up we may be, we enrich our prayer lives by going back to the beginning. Admit Jesus’ closest followers once came to him, saying, “Lord, teach us…

The dress was navy blue with a wide sash that had little cutout daisies with bright yellow centers. Perfect for my older daughter’s first day of nursery school. Dropping off four-year-old Prentiss at the side door of our church, I felt a rush of emotions—loss, gratitude, confusion. It felt as if just hours ago Prentiss had come rushing into this world, and already I had to say goodbye to her. In the sanctuary, the school’s headmistress addressed us parents: “This is only the beginning. Parenting is really just a series of goodbyes.” Come on! This was hard enough. Now I am about to drop off Prentiss at college. I know she’ll be fine, partly because she went to nine schools growing up. As she says, she has the new-girl thing…

When veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker (Fear Free, page 24) learned of the many pets displaced during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he had to do something to help. He traveled to southeastern Romania, close to the Ukrainian border, where he worked with Sava’s Safe Haven, a family-run nonprofit animal shelter. Dr. Becker met with veterinary students and professionals to raise awareness and money for pets impacted by the war. At the Romanian shelter, he met a dog—“this small, middle-aged girl with long black hair who leaped into my lap and stretched up to kiss me,” he recalls. She had been rescued a few days earlier and was visibly underweight. The moment they locked eyes, Dr. Becker knew they had a special bond. “The look was unmistakable,” he says. “I’m yours. You’re…