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When parents have to say, 'No'
How hard it is for parents to have to say a firm but loving no to a reasonable request—especially when they can't easily explain that the decision was guided by spiritual intuition.
My husband passed away when our teenage sons were in high school. I felt a heavy responsibility to fill parenting roles as both father and mother.
One of the first of many tests soon came. Peter had just gotten his driver's license, and had a small car of his own. One day he announced that his Boy Scout troop was planning a canoe trip and that he had volunteered to be one of the drivers. It was also necessary to transport several canoes on the tops of the cars, and his car obviously couldn't safely handle even one canoe.
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About the author
Jean Burgdorff is the mother of two grown sons, who have children of their own. She ran the family real estate business in New Jersey for over 25 years and now has a business in Florida.
September 15, 2003 issue
View Issue-
A matter of life
Bettie Gray
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letters
with contributions from Dorothy Bledsoe, Doris Libey, Eleanor Lee, Miriam Dailey, Carolyn Hill
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items of interest
with contributions from Imtiaz Muqbil, Linda K. Wertheimer, Mark Mcguire, Susan Williams
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Suicide prevention—a spiritual approach
BY Beverly Goldsmith
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An Iranian asks, 'Where is heaven?'
By Marta Greenwood
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The God of the living
By Lyle Young
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REVERENCE for LIFE—a call to prayer for child soldiers
Paco Garcia with contributions from Mayal Tshiabuila
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The joy of walking the land again
By William Overlease
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A day of hiking & healing
By Pamela Guthman Kissock
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When parents have to say, 'No'
By Jean Burgdorff
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Through a spiritual lens—MORNING CONTEMPLATION
Peter Anderson
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Life is precious
By Dave Hohle
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Saved from suicide
Elizabeth Brittain