At 65, most people retire. That’s when Judy Dunn Palmer started writing this book. During the Covid quarantine, she
finished her book, Hope in Hard Times, a story sharing how faith and persistence in prayer helped
overcome the crippling pain of arthritis.
Nothing keeps her down. In 1976, she was inoculated with the Swine Flu vaccine which resulted in her paralysis for 6 years. After that, she went on to graduate from Pennsylvania State University, majoring in Journalism and in Medical
Anthropology.
At 48, she married George Palmer and retired from office work. Instead, she homeschooled their
youngest son, Paul. (All his siblings were out of school.) After Paul graduated, she retired from
teaching, she thought. Until this person needed help, and then that person. Well, you know how it goes.
Now, in her retirement, Palmer tutors and writes in her spare time.
WE ALLÂ NEED MORE HOPE!
Learn from a survivor, herself!
Get Yours Today
One year, a friend, who couldn’t drive, asked me if I would take her to a writing class. I was glad to and, because of the location and since it was only one hour, I decided to go into class and wait for my friend. I ended up writing. But, at that time, I wasn’t writing Hope in Hard Times, in fact, I was experiencing it.
Judy's Weekly Post
What does 96 years old look like?
Yesterday two friends and I drove up to see Ethel Marie, who had just turned 96. Years ago, she and her husband Bob, had been one of the first pastors of Calvary Church in Greensboro. On Sunday, we set up our homemade lunch offerings in her dining room, while her son and caretaker cared for their lawn. The dining room, where we sat, used to be the sanctuary of Calvary Church. It could hold, maybe 20. The bedrooms were the Sunday School rooms back then. Calvary Church has changed dramatically, but the dining room is still welcoming.
Normally the woman I see weekly is a typical 95-year- old woman. But this Sunday, Ethel Marie’s hair was brushed and almost sparkled; she wore a lovely Christmas sweater, and even had lipstick on. She bubbled with the excitement of a 30-year old -- because her friends came over to share her birthday with her.
We never get too old for friendship, for kindness. Reach out to someone today. Be a part of God’s blessing, and you, too, will be blessed.
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Life can be discouraging, but miracles are real. That is the message found in Hope in Hard Times by Judy Dunn Palmer. In her memoir, Palmer recalls beginning the day one morning just wanting to brush her teeth. To her astonishment, she couldn’t do this simple task because of an oncoming case of Psoriatic Arthritis. In her book, she explains why she can now.