Jeff Hampton – Page 84 – Jeff Hampton, Writer

August 24, 2021

Intervention

For Wilshire Baptist Church

Sitting on the sofa yesterday evening, I looked out the back windows and thought I saw an animal in our back yard. We don’t have a fence so it wouldn’t be unusual; we’ve looked out before and seen cats and dogs, possums and rabbits. Still, I wanted to know if it was friend or foe so I went out to look. As my eyes focused in the deepening dusk, it didn’t take long to see that it wasn’t an animal; it was a large hawk, on the ground, hopping about and spreading it’s wings. I called for LeAnn and she came out to see it too.

August 17, 2021

Refreshment for Thirsty Souls

For Wilshire Baptist Church

Last Wednesday morning I walked the labyrinth at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Richardson on what would have been my first wife Debra’s 62nd birthday. Because of cancer, she’ll forever be 48. That church and the labyrinth were a place of peace for Debra in life but also during illness. After she passed, her friends had her name engraved on one of the stones that borders the labyrinth, which makes it a place of remembrance for me.

August 10, 2021

Appreciation

For Wilshire Baptist Church

Sometime after LeAnn and I were married, our youngest nephew Ethan was staying with us and he discovered a sock puppet app on our iPad. He started creating short puppet shows, and the one we remember most was a sock puppet wedding where the two characters faced each other and repeated these vows, dictated by Ethan:

“Do you appreciate this woman?”

“Yes, I do.”

“And do you appreciate this man?”

“Yes, I do.”