Table of contents for December 2019 / January 2020 in Guideposts

I’m getting to that point in life where birthdays go by in a blur, but there’s one coming up I plan to celebrate: Guideposts turns 75 in 2020. In 1945, Americans were returning from war by the millions. The Great Depression was over, and the economy was kicking into overdrive. Good times for sure but difficult ones. With the new half century dawning, society was undergoing formative changes. Progress ruled. Into this world Ruth and Norman Peale brought GUIDEPOSTS, not to resist progress but to be part of it. They saw how this new society sometimes challenged people’s values. The personal faith-in-action stories Dr. Peale collected reminded people that they were not alone in those challenges. Above all Dr. Peale wanted his young magazine to be part of the national…

STUCK ON YOU My military family of five relies on air travel to get back to Wyoming at Christmas. There are no direct flights. It’s stressful, expensive and usually frustrating to make our way through multiple airports. A few years ago, I packed smiley face stickers in my daughters’ carry-on bags, hoping to keep them busy on the plane. My oldest, Morgan, found them while we were waiting in a mile-long check-in line and handed them out to everybody who helped us. By the time we made it through all three airports, she had a whole spiel worked out. “Thank you for helping us go to Wyoming,” she said. “We live here because my dad is in the Army, but we’re going to Grandpa’s house….” Everybody stopped to listen: the…

The silver Jeep had been circling the neighborhood for a while. That in itself wasn’t weird. But for some reason, this car caught my attention. I watched from my front porch as it passed the house again…then pulled to a stop in front of my mailbox. The man behind the wheel rolled down his window. “Are you Richard P. Lang?” he called out to me. “Yes?” I answered, confused. “But I go by Rick.” The man got out of the Jeep. So did a woman—his wife, I assumed. “Do you recognize this car?” he asked. I took a good look. It was my old Jeep Grand Cherokee! I’d traded it in at the dealership what seemed like a lifetime ago. “We’re from Kansas,” the man told me. “We’re on our…

AT 7 A.M., MY SISTER GAIL CAME waltzing into the kitchen in shorts and a sleeveless top—“Look at my outfit!”—even though it was a New England fall day in 2005. At 40, eight years younger than me, Gail was developmentally disabled and functioned at about the level of a six-year-old. “Let’s get you into something warmer,” I told her, and together we picked out jeans and a sweater. Gail launched into her usual morning complaint: “It’s not a good day to go to my program. I need to stay home to help you and Mom and Dad.” “Your bus will be here in 20 minutes,” I said. Gail stormed out of the kitchen. Soon I heard the familiar slamming of doors all over the house. This habit used to drive…

“This movie is a wonderful tribute to Fred,” says Joanne Rogers (Forever Fred, page 16) of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks as her husband, Fred Rogers. The film captures his legacy, reminding people to be kind and neighborly, to try to forgive those who have hurt them and to see the innate goodness in all people. “I know Fred would be thrilled to have Tom Hanks represent him on the big screen,” she says. It took Tom 22 takes to master the iconic opening of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: entering the room like Mister Rogers, walking down the steps, changing from jacket to zipped cardigan and from loafers to canvas sneakers. Only later did he find out that Fred kept a loose knot in the sneakers to…

The Best Gift In our exclusive video, best-selling author Karen Kingsbury (page 26) shares Christmas gift-giving tips and what makes a present stand out. guideposts.org/karenk You Are Not Alone Stave off loneliness with these spirit lifting tips from Contributing Editor Roberta Messner (page 48). guideposts.org/robertamessner Joy to the World Catch the holiday spirit with these heart-warming Christmas quotes. guideposts.org/christmasquotes A Beautiful Prayer in the Neighborhood Did you know Mister Rogers (page 16) was an ordained minister? Learn how he quietly practiced his faith. guideposts.org/rogerspray Keep Your GUIDEPOSTS Coming We make it easy to renew your magazine or check on the length of your subscription. guideposts.org/ecares…

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania THE FIRST TIME I SET EYES on Fred Rogers was in 1947. I was a student at Rollins College in Florida, and he was a freshman at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, who decided that he wanted to major in music. Dartmouth did not have a music degree program at that time. A music professor there suggested he come down to Winter Park to see Rollins. Our music composition teacher said we should all go greet him, so we piled into a very big, elderly Franklin car to meet this new prospect at the airport. And so it was that this unhappy Dartmouth student was welcomed by a dozen happy Rollins music students! It must have worked because he decided to transfer to Rollins. We became good friends,…

IN THE MONTHS LEADING UP TO Christmas, my husband mentioned wanting a dog once. Just once. It was a moment of weakness, something he would later say never happened at all. But I definitely remember it. We were in the kitchen, and a photo of our beloved white Labrador, Reggie, flashed on the computer screen. “I miss him,” Donald said, tears filling his eyes. “Reggie was the most loyal dog, such a friend.” Then my husband looked at me. “Maybe we should get another dog.” Reggie was the puppy our kids had grown up with. We brought him home to Cottonwood, Arizona, when Kelsey was seven and Tyler was four, and a few Christmases later, he made the move with us to Vancouver, Washington. He was in the middle of…

More than 60 million Americans live in a household of two or more adult generations, the Pew Research Center notes. In many families, such as Maryanne Curran’s, caregiving is also involved. That can increase the tensions that arise when several age groups live under one roof. What things help make multigenerational living a positive experience? Home Instead Senior Care worked with aging and caregiving experts to develop these questions and tips: Can your family treat the arrangement as a partnership? Before combining households, think about how well everyone’s personalities mesh. Discuss everything from chores to activities to privacy. Each family member should give input. Does living together make financial sense? “Make sure there is enough income among family members so all bills can be paid,” Home Instead Senior Care gerontologist…

“My dad found that telling struggling people that others had overcome the same problems gave them faith. He and Mother conceived Guideposts to deliver those uplifting messages. I’m proud that 75 years later, those stories continue to help millions of readers.” ELIZABETH PEALE ALLEN daughter of GUIDEPOSTS founders Norman Vincent Peale and Ruth Stafford Peale For more information on Guideposts’ outreach programs, visit guideposts.org/helping-others, write to GUIDEPOSTS FOUNDATION, 39 Old Ridgebury Road, Suite 27, Danbury, CT 06810 or e-mail us at outreach@guideposts.org.…

“We rarely ever see the full spectrum of God’s plan, and our simple deeds can spiral into much bigger blessings.”radio host DELILAH, from her book One Heart at a Time “Never underestimate the importance of having a person in your life who can always make you smile.”via @thegoodquote on Instagram “I think age is just something that’s a number, and it depends on whether the number is going to keep you down or keep you up.”IRWIN WINKLER, 88, producer of the movie Rocky “Focus on your feet, not your head. Keep them moving forward.”JEN WELTER, first woman to coach in the NFL “You can’t plant negative thoughts and reap positive energy.”submitted by Guideposts reader ELAINE JOHNSON, of Atlanta, Georgia “Happiness for me is peace of mind. Being at peace with…

Charlotte, North Carolina I MADE THE TRIP FROM CHARLOTTE to Charleston, South Carolina, full of dread. I didn’t want to be there, didn’t want to sit through the trial of the man who’d killed my mother at the church she loved, didn’t want to be in the same room with him. She’d gone to church for the Wednesday night Bible study, as always, and been gunned down along with eight other innocent souls. We’d waited a year and a half, and now, just before Christmas, the trial would begin. Justice would be served—or so I hoped. I’ve got to keep myself together, I told myself. For Momma. The courtroom was small. There was room only for the victims’ immediate families. The prosecution team had talked to us beforehand, telling us…

I LINGERED AT THE KITCHEN TAble after Mom had left for work that morning. Tonight would be the fifth night of Hanukkah, and I was at a loss. What do I get my mother? We used to exchange gifts every night of the holiday when my brother and I were kids. Stuffed animals, puzzles and clothes for us. Usually something handmade for Mom and Dad. Now we did just one big gift exchange on the eighth and final night. It was enough to celebrate with candles and family the other seven days. But there were only three days left to think of the perfect present. I remembered Hanukkahs we’d had growing up. Mom would make latkes while Dad led us in prayers. My brother and I ran to the living…

A GIFT FOR SANTA It was my barber who gave me the idea of becoming a professional Santa Claus. He just knew my white beard would be perfect for the role. In my years in the red suit, I played Santa Claus at Christmas parties, charity events, homeless shelters—even the occasional fancy country club. One evening, I was hired to entertain at the children’s hospital in Lubbock for kids who couldn’t go home for the holidays. I really wanted to give them a night to remember. Maybe that’s why my attention kept being drawn to a little girl who looked about six. She was completely bald as a result of her treatment and seemed too shy to approach me. No matter how much I smiled or ho-ho-hoed, she kept her…

FAMILY TIES I was blessed to have a story, Tea for Three, about taking tea to two elderly friends, published in the September 2012 Guideposts. Shortly after the issue came out, I received letters from a few of the ladies’ loved ones. And I got a call from a man named Warren in Florida. “I see you are from Deer Park, Wisconsin,” he said. “Can you help me find my relatives there?” He shared some of his history: His late birth mother was from Deer Park. She’d hidden her pregnancy by going away and placing the baby for adoption. Though she’d stayed in touch with his adoptive family, she hadn’t told anyone in Wisconsin about him. Warren was able to get in touch with one local relative, Barb. She met…