All I Have Needed - Guest Post by Miriam Bradley

Today is different here at Speaking Hope.  Guest blogger and author Miriam Jones Bradley is sharing an excerpt from her newest book  All I Have Needed-A Legacy for Life.  It's a great book full of warm stories about her parents, grandparents and extended family and the impact they have had on her life. 

 

I met Miriam at a speakers' conference last year.  She has been very gracious and helpful to me as I continue on my journey of speaking and writing. 

 

There's a link at the end of the post that takes you to Amazon where you can purchase All I Have Needed - A Legacy for Life.  You'll also see Miriam's other books, the Double Cousins mystery series for young readers.

 

 

I have a favorite photo of my daddy. It reminds me of the phrase in Joshua when Caleb says to God, “Give me that mountain!” My daddy is a man of faith, a man of character. They say that girls get their view of God from their fathers. I am blessed that my daddy is a good example of the character of God.

 

 

In June I had the privilege of spending a day like no other with my family, including Daddy. We toured from my cousin’s house into the Sandhills of Nebraska to see three things. First we visited a barn which Great-Grandpa Jones built almost one hundred years ago. It has been moved off the original site to a ranch nearby and has been lovingly maintained.

 



 

The second place we visited required a bouncy, cramped ride over the hills to the site where the sod house used to sit. The sod house in which my daddy was born during the Great Depression. The sod house in which they burned dried cow manure for fuel.

 

There was nothing there except a flat spot, but the rancher who was guiding us remembered it. You see, the place my daddy was born was the place the rancher saw his first dead body when he was a kid. It was a memorable experience and every detail was etched in his mind, including where the sod house stood. Lucky for us.

 

The final place we visited was Jones Grove. Across the beautiful, now empty valley from the sod house site is an aging grove of trees planted by my grandpa, his siblings, and parents. It is also the site where the barn originally stood. Beside that grove we discovered the foundation of the barn.

 

I couldn’t help but think about the story of the wise man who built his house upon the rock.  When the storms came, his house stood. He had a solid foundation.

 

 I have been blessed with a great foundation. What kind of foundation am I leaving?  Maybe someday I will stand with my nieces and nephews at an old home place. More importantly though, I trust they will look at me and see a life that reflects a foundation of godly living, just like I see in Daddy.

 

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005K91BJA

 

You can find Miriam's blog here:  http://www.miriamjonesbradley.wordpress.com