Table of contents for Dec/Jan 2023 in Guideposts

In the middle of the night, I felt a sudden heavy presence on the mattress. The bed listed like a foundering ship. It took me a second to understand: Gracie, my 70-pound golden, had joined me. She’s not a bed dog. She gets too hot and objects to my snoring. Gracie prefers the floor or one of her own beds. I heard a crack of thunder and hail pelting the roof. That explained it. She was anxious about the storm. She needed protection and reassurance. Isn’t that what we all seek when facing life’s inevitable storms? We turn to our faith to sustain us, to assuage our fears and worries. This issue is full of stories from people in pursuit of God’s refuge and strength. A pastor and a lawbreaker—both…

A GIFT FOR EVERY SENIOR I grabbed several gift tags from the Christmas tree at the nursing home where my mom lived. Every year, the staff asked each resident what they wanted for Christmas, wrote down their requests on tags and hung them on the tree. If a resident couldn’t voice their requests, the staff observed their needs and wrote those down. The requested items were small and inexpensive: crossword puzzles, pens, lip balm, hand lotion, socks. People in our small town stopped by the nursing home to grab tags from the tree, so they could buy things on the residents’ wish lists. Some seniors didn’t get many visitors—or gifts—but our community wanted everyone to have a present to open on Christmas. It was wonderful to see people’s eyes light…

I was curled up on the couch, playing solitaire on my cell phone, when the ad popped up. By reflex, I scrolled past it. Then I noticed the ad was for a church—Passion Church of Tucson. I scrolled back to look. I had moved from Angola, Indiana (population less than 9,000), to Tucson, Arizona, five years earlier, after meeting my husband, Gordon. Though he and I shared a strong faith, we had different styles of worship. Gordon preferred quiet, solitary prayer. I was more of a joiner. We belonged to a Bible study that met once a week, hosted in the homes of different members. I enjoyed it but found myself hungry for live praise and music. Still a small-town girl at heart, I found the size of Tucson, with…

Employment of in-home professional caregivers is expected to grow 25 percent from 2021 to 2031, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s much faster than for other professions. Lakelyn Eichenberger, Ph.D., gerontologist and caregiver advocate at Home Instead, isn’t surprised. As the elderly population grows, a range of people see caregiving as a flexible, meaningful career. Many retirees turn to caregiving. “Nurses are a natural fit,” she says. “But I’ve seen people from corporate settings thrive as caregivers too.” Health-care or social work students also find caregiving valuable for their future careers. “All of us want purpose in our lives,” says Dr. Eichenberger. “Professional caregiving can provide that.” Here’s how: Make a positive impact. “It’s so gratifying when you help an older adult in their daily activities,” says Dr. Eichenberger,…

Apache was really my son Scott’s dog. He was a beautiful white, gray and brown large mixed-breed—part Alaskan malamute and part German Shepherd was our best guess. (There weren’t dog DNA tests back in the mid-1980s.) He joined our family immediately after the death of our beloved family dog. One of my friends convinced me that getting a new pet right away would help the children deal with the loss and took 12-year-old Scott and his 11-year-old sister to the animal shelter to pick out a puppy. I wasn’t ready to love another dog, but I went along with the idea for the kids. I met Apache when I got home from work that day. He was cute but jumpy—always hiding under something and frightened by noise. A few days…

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”—PSALM 94:19 (NIV) No matter how many times I hit a key, my laptop refused to power on. It had crashed. Though I was normally great at backing up documents and files on a regular basis, I’d gotten a little lazy. Would my notes be lost? Worse, would I remember everything that was open in my infinite lineup of browser tabs? When I finally got the computer to reboot, a little box popped up: Did I want to start from where I’d left off or start fresh? Instead of clicking the first option, which would have immediately launched seven programs, opened no fewer than 40 tabs and likely caused my computer to crash all over again, I took a breath,…

“Wow, Papa, you really went all out this year!” I could barely see my father’s three-foot-tall tree through the wall of Christmas presents around it. My husband, David, and I exchanged a look of surprise. Even our four children were speechless as they stared at the splendor before them. Christmas was still a couple of weeks away, but we always celebrated with Papa early. The tradition had started in my childhood, after my parents’ divorce. Papa wasn’t one for lavish turkey dinners or noble firs, but I loved sharing pre-Christmas pizza and ice cream beside his artificial tree so much that I started bringing my husband and children. The kids were thrilled to open presents from their grandfather early every Christmas—but there weren’t usually this many presents! “Papa, what is…

SNOW ANGELS Step outside on any December day in my childhood home of Plattsburgh, New York, and you’d find snowmen, snowball fights, snow forts and snow angels. Any December, that is, except the year I was eight. The Year of No Snow. “I’m dreaming of a brown Christ mas…” my mother sang cheerfully when she found my four-year-old brother and me staring gloomily out the window on Christmas Eve morning. The frozen mud, barren trees and yards sprinkled with only a few dead leaves were nothing funny to us. Without snow, it just wasn’t Christmas. For weeks, I’d been asking God to send us snow, and every morning I woke to a day even drearier than the last. “It’s like the clouds dump more mud while we sleep,” I grumbled…

LONGTIME COMFORT Every year, my godmother, my aunt Kathy, sends me special gifts that have become so important to me, especially after my diagnosis with ALS three years ago. In October, I receive a subscription to GUIDEPOSTS magazine, followed in December by the devotional Walking in Grace (which used to be called Daily Guideposts). I’ve especially come to enjoy the devotions written by Shawnelle Eliasen. They often focus on how God leads us through the challenges of guiding our children through each stage of their lives. Aunt Kathy’s tradition, started more than 20 years ago, has brought me so much comfort as I live with ALS. Though I may have little control over my physical health, I do control my spiritual health, my relationship with God. When I read my…

“I’ve learned to honor dark times as much as bright ones, knowing both will pass. What remains is a belief that, even as I navigate the peaks and valleys, God cradles me in his palm.”Good Morning America anchor ROBIN ROBERTS, from Brighter by the Day “December’s gifts—custom, ceremony, celebration, consecration—come to us wrapped up, not in tissue and ribbons, but in cherished memories.”From Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, by SARAH BAN BREATHNACH “Don’t let your dreams just stay as dreams.” 83-year-old KENICHIE HORIE of Japan, who became the oldest person to sail alone nonstop across the Pacific Ocean “The first secret to loving others is to immerse yourself in a love relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit—and abide there.”ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ,…

“Mom, I think I’ve met a girl I’d like to date.” This was what my son Ryyan called to tell me? Ryyan was 28, a senior in college. He’d served in the Army, including a deployment to Iraq, before enrolling at Georgia Tech at age 23. He was about to graduate with a degree in computer science. He hadn’t been on a single date his entire time in college. “Too much homework, Mom!” he said. I didn’t want him becoming one of those permanent bachelor computer programmers, but Ryyan needed to focus on his studies. I helped out by doing his laundry, cooking and freezing healthy meals for him and running errands whenever I made it over to Atlanta from the Sparta farmhouse where my husband, Mark, and I lived.…

Matt Morgenstern I had one more day to move the rest of my things out of my apartment. I called the moving van rental company to extend my rental, but they told me it wasn’t possible. I needed to return the van I had now—and no other vans were available. I called other moving van for miles around was booked. My whole family joined in on the effort to find one, but it seemed as if there was nothing in the entire state of New Jersey. “I’ll get up early tomorrow and continue the search,” my dad said. I went to bed, hoping against hope for a miracle. At 7 A.M., my dad called my cell phone. “Come downstairs,” he said. I ran down to find him sitting in someone’s…

I was just as excited for our annual Christmas Eve fete as I was about Santa coming. It was our family’s one big party every year, and it felt as if the whole town came. After church, my mom would lay out the feast she’d spent a week preparing. She gave my sisters and me our own tasks. Guests arrived, and the house seemed to glow and hum. So festive! Imagine my thrill the year I convinced my mom that I, a fledgling caterer returning home to Michigan from California, could prepare the dinner. Alone. I planned and shopped; I chopped and stirred. But all was not well. My siblings rushed to buy ingredient after ingredient I’d forgotten. They whipped up dishes as my menu items crashed and burned. Maybe…

Anew year is upon us—’tis the season for making resolutions. Some people are determined to make 2023 the year that they will lose weight, stop smoking, go to church more often or become a kinder, more patient spouse or parent. Me? This year, I’m committing to living a healthier lifestyle (goodbye, Doritos; hello, smoothies) and putting down my iPhone and picking up some good old-fashioned books. Most of us are trying to become better versions of ourselves. Some years, you may make good progress on your goals; other years, you don’t even get out of the gate. It’s all part of the human condition. Don’t get bogged down in frustration or anxiety. Yes, our world changes constantly. Each year brings new struggles—pandemics, political upheaval, natural disasters— as well as personal…

My life was changed by one word. I’d been dating Robin for a year and a half. Though we were still in our teens, we’d discussed wedding plans. But one day in her family’s kitchen, she surprised me. “You never really asked me to marry you,” she said. My heart skipped a beat. Was she having second thoughts? Was this her way of backing out? I swallowed. Forced a smile. Then dropped to one knee right there in front of the refrigerator. I had no ring, but I asked her to be my wife. Robin smiled and said, “Yes.” That word filled me with joy and charted the course for a life of blessings that I still enjoy, more than four decades later. One word can say so much. It…

A Devotion a Day Start the new year right by reading a short devotion every day. Whether you read it in the morning or right before bed, Guideposts’ Daily Devotions will bring you closer to God in 2023. Visit guideposts.org/daily-devotions. Find the Perfect Prayer Do you know someone who could use a prayer? See our collection of inspirational prayers and share them with loved ones and friends in need of support at guideposts.org/prayer-library. Shop With Us! Find inspiration, find faith—find Guideposts. Shop our bestsellers and favorites at guideposts.org/shop. 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 Get even more inspiring Guideposts stories—from celebrity exclusives to true heavenly…

What you do for your spiritual well-being Animals, plants and seeing the miracles in nature help me maintain peace in an ever-changing world. Real-life hero For me, even with my faith in God, life is about finding the hero that lives within ourselves. Go-to place to pray In the pool at night. Movement is my prayer. I swim and speak freely with God under the night skies. Favorite Bible verse “For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We can’t always see the most important things. Q&A by Celeste McCauley. Find a longer version at guideposts.org/carrie-ann-inaba For more on this story, see FAMILY ROOM…

Monte Gannon: A police officer stood on my porch and asked, “Are you the registered owner of a white trailer belonging to Meadows Church?” “Yes,” I said, startled. It was Thursday night. Why was a cop asking about my church’s equipment trailer? I’m the pastor of Meadows Church in Omaha. Back then, in September 2019, we were a start-up holding weekly services at a Marriott hotel. We stored our stuff—musical instruments, speakers, amps, lights, kids’ ministry materials, Bibles, gift packets for first-time guests, coffeepots—in a trailer in the hotel parking lot. “Your trailer was found in Council Bluffs, Iowa, today,” the officer said. “It appears to have been stolen and set on fire. It’s been taken to a tow yard. No suspects have been apprehended.” I nodded, speechless. “I’m sorry,…

The temperature in Moose Jaw hadn’t gotten above minus 40 degrees in days. I hated leaving my warm apartment that morning last January to go grocery shopping. Not that I had anything better to do; I’d long since retired from nursing, and after separating from my husband about nine months earlier, most of my days had been spent in front of the TV. For much of the last decade of our 43-year marriage, I’d been my husband’s caregiver as he struggled with clinical depression. When he became emotionally abusive, I knew it was time to move out. But without him and our house to take care of, I felt as if I had no real purpose anymore. My self-confidence hit an all-time low. I prayed daily for God to help…

Taking down the Christmas tree was as much of a tradition for my family as putting it up. We would gather in the sunroom on New Year’s Day and take the ornaments off our tree, reminiscing about each one before putting it away. The deer that my daughter had made of Popsicle sticks in preschool. The glittered ball that was a craft project when my son was in third grade. Even after Lindsay and Steven had become young adults out on their own, they loved the “undecorating,” as we called it, and looked forward to it as much I did. Except this year. It was mid-January, and we had not yet taken down the tree. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Steven had been killed in a car wreck…

My husband and I roamed the party store. Well, I roamed, lingering over glitzy garlands and balloons of every shape. Mike made a beeline for the paper goods. “Don’t forget, we’re only here to look for dessert plates and napkins,” he said. A large cardboard 40 caught my eye. It was plain white. Sophisticated. “Wouldn’t this look nice beside the table?” I asked. Mike made a face. “Yikes!” he said. What was the big deal? I hadn’t even suggested the glittery one. A few months earlier, I’d brought up the idea of a vow renewal to mark our fortieth anniversary. To my surprise, Mike was on board. He hated any fuss, but we both agreed that our long, happy marriage deserved to be honored. “Something small,” he’d immediately added. “Just…

Advent is a season of waiting—for Santa Claus. For the Christ Child. For the presents under the tree. We know very well what we’re waiting for. But do we see the spiritual gifts that come with the waiting? Those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 When my mom’s minister visited on what turned out to be her last day on earth, she asked him to read this Bible verse. At the time, I thought it was a curious choice. No longer. In her own way, Mom was preparing us, her four kids by her hospital bedside, for what was to come, showing us that…

Profound thanks for the extended texting session with a dear friend who I thought had abandoned me. My heart was filled with a quiet joy. —ANONYMOUS Thank you, Jesus, for sending me exactly the right plumber for the job. He fixed the leak successfully yesterday. Praise God. Hallelujah! —B My son was chosen for the ministry program at the prison facility where he’s staying. Thank you, Lord. —DIANNE Thank you, God, for traveling mercies to Niagara Falls. You are my everything. This is a lifelong dream come true. —PHYLLIS From our readers and website visitors. Send your answered prayer to submissions@guideposts.org.…

It has been another big year for Erin Napier (The Christmas Couple, page 18) and her husband, Ben. Their hit HGTV show, Home Town, returns December 4; Erin released her first children’s book, The Lantern House; and she and Ben share family holiday traditions in a Christmas special. “My mom makes gumbo around Christmas. That’s complicated. I’m not there yet. But I got to try my hand at gumbo for the special and surprised my mom with it,” Erin says. This year, when Erin gets out the Advent calendar that her mom created for her daughters, she’ll also set up the fabric Nativity figures that Ben’s mom sewed for them. “She’s an incredible seamstress,” Erin says. “There are camels, the wise men and the baby in the manger.” Next up…