My Daughter Saw Her DAD (who died 17 months before!)

It was Friday, June 11th, 2021 when I received an unexpected call from my 15-year-old daughter. Jaycie had been at Falls Creek church camp all week with our church youth group, and they were expected home the next day. Her tear-filled and yet excited voice told me something significant had happened. "Mom, I saw DAD...

Knocked Down, but Not Destroyed

Spring is in the air. I'm a bit sleepy from losing an hour of sleep with the time change last night, but excited about the prospect of more daylight in my day. I spent yesterday working in my front yard, doing more manual labor than I have in months. After the ice and snow storms...

Preparing a Place (Welcome, Ralphie the Rescue Dog!)

Seventeen months had passed since we buried our dear fifteen-year-old Cocker Spaniel. Buddy had been a beloved family pet since he was eight weeks old, and it took a while to be emotionally ready for a new pet. Since we had a mission trip planned (to Washington, DC) in May and my knee surgery scheduled...

She Was Singing My Song Before She Died (but she’d NEVER heard it!)

I was singing and leading worship at a church near Joplin, MO in the fall of 2014. We had lost our oldest son only months before, so (as I usually do), I spoke a great deal about Heaven and eternal life. I shared about my sister, Elizabeth, who drowned in 2004, and about losing both of...

Do All Dogs Go to Heaven? Saying Good-bye to Our Pet

My tears fell on Buddy's blond coat as I petted him and said my final goodbye to our dear 15-year-old Cocker Spaniel. My husband wanted to stay as they put our beloved old boy to sleep, but I was falling apart and could not bear it. The kindhearted nurse at the veterinary clinic witnessed my...

Highlight Reel (Most Popular Posts)

Hello, readers of Inspiring Hope Blog! Becky here, grateful and humbled by the response of readers to this blog. As you read this, I will be driving seven hours from the St. Louis area back home to northeastern Oklahoma, so those who get this by email on Sunday afternoons -- it may not arrive until Monday....

Preparing for Company (28 Minutes in Heaven)

My husband helped me get the guest bedroom ready for the long-awaited arrival of our daughter and grandchildren. We stocked up on groceries, bathed the smelly dog, and even hung a new clock on the wall, which had been bare for months since the old one broke. We cleaned up areas that seem to get...

Fierce Love

"Mommy, come outside and see the baby bird in the rose bush!" My ten-year-old daughter was thrilled to discover a baby cardinal, camouflaged carefully inside our backyard rose bush. Out I came, camera in hand, whispering so as not to scare the young chick. As we approached the bush, however, the apparent parents of the...