Article and Photograph by Make The Days Count Contributor Ann Wilkinson

I am not ashamed to admit I love hotels.  I love the luxurious feeling of being pampered by lying in a bed I don’t have to make, towels I can use once and leave to be washed by someone else, and the sheer laziness of being able to order room service and leave the cooking to others, too.  And, I’m not alone in this love of being taken care of.  Recently, I had a chat with a woman at a hotel in Connecticut who told me she had opted to stay in a hotel for a night rather than at a friend’s house simply because she loves experiencing hotels.

Imagine the perfect scenario in which you are greeted warmly at the reception desk with a smile and friendly hello, and someone helps you carry your bags to your room. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Jennifer Snelling

Christmas is the season of giving, love and miracles.  We all need all three in our lives.  The question is, are you a miracle worker to someone? 

Helen Keller was a child lost in darkness and silence when Anne Sullivan became her teacher, and did the seemingly impossible by communicating with her in the language of people who could see and hear.  For the rest of her life, whatever obstacles or opportunities arose, Anne Sullivan was with Helen Keller as a teacher and a friend.  When Helen Keller went to college, Anne Sullivan sat with her in class, busily scribbling the words of the professors into Helen Keller’s hands so that she could learn the same lessons as everyone else.  Anne Sullivan appeared in shows with Helen Keller, showing the world her abilities and proving to everyone that she could be a star, too.  Helen Keller became an inspiration to not only the disabled, but all people; and Anne Sullivan was named a “Miracle Worker.”

When Helen Keller was given an honorary degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, she said, Read More »

Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, St. Matthews Baptist Church

Normally, each December I schedule meeting times to be with members of my church whose beloved has passed on from earth to heaven.  Each time we have met to pray & share, I have been influenced by the courageous response each person had made to move forward while living with grief intensified by the holiday season.

This year, a trusted friend suggested that I write a letter to those who have lost loved ones.  After days of contemplating the letter my pastor’s heart wanted to write, I sat down last night in front of my Christmas tree to think of you and pray for you.  My hand picked up a pen, and I wrote the following: 

Maybe this Christmas you are sitting alone, looking at the tree you use to decorate with your beloved.  While remembering each ornament’s origin, you recall the Christmases you once formed and shared.  Sadness and gladness mix in the tears that moisten your eyes.

You find yourself again having to choose - am I mainly grateful for the life we shared that created these memories which enrich each of my days, or, am I more regretful that the “love of my life” is no longer beside me, holding my hand, calling me dear?

You pray – ‘Dear Lord, You know my pain.  Help me.  The absence aches within me so that I find it hard to feel Your presence.  And yet I know that by leaning into You, Your comfort will hold me close and Your counsel will guide me into choosing what is right.  And so I choose:

gladness to rule my sadness;

gratitude to govern my regret;

hope to answer my despair;

faith to shape my trust; and

love to light my soul.

You are Emmanuel, O Lord.  And my dear departed is now perfectly with You in heaven, while I am with You here on earth.  I rejoice in knowing afresh how You link together our worlds.  With the angels I sing “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all on whom Your favor rests.”  All that You request is for us to accept Your gift to receive, a choice to make.  My reply is a great “Yes” to the Christmas You have for me to live each day.’

With our love & prayers this Christmas season.

Pastor Les Hollon

This letter was written by Les Hollon, Pastor of St. Matthews Baptist Church.  For more information about embracing hope while dealing with the grief of losing a loved one, grief and hope, St. Matthews Baptist Church, or to contact Dr. Hollon, click over to St. Matthews Baptist Church.

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Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe

The holiday season is a season of expectation.  We expect to celebrate, enjoy friends and family, give and receive the perfect gifts. We want the house manicured and the decorations displayed. We expect to be happy and to make others happy as well.   We want perfectionism … just like a Norman Rockwell painting.

Holiday Deadlines & Expectation

Anticipation builds as we look forward to specific events.  Most of us will plan multiple events that are scheduled with exact dates and times … the school play, the Christmas concert, dinner at Aunt Susan’s, shopping for presents, the holiday office party … the list usually fills up very quickly.  We will watch our calendars inflate with “happy deadlines” as we work in everyone and everything we want to include. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Chris Bennett

Somewhere between Indianapolis and St. Louis on a chilly autumn day a few years back, I received a gift for my family that would unknowingly change all of our lives for the better.  This gift came in the form of a little fur ball that could barely see past the top of the grass.  She was shivering so bad she could barely bark.  It was more like chirp, almost like a chipmunk.  Her eyes made it clear though, she wanted to live.  Who was I to say no? Read More »