Finding Gratitude in H.O.P.E.: How Humor, Optimism, Patience, and Empathy Can Help Us Accept What We Find Unacceptable

I love this author's book because it's real, honest, and keeps its promise to teach the reader real-life skills in overcoming "the unacceptable". He uses his own life challenges, his multi-faceted professional history, and quotes from notable professionals to get his points across. I had to stop and repeat certain gems of sentences and marvel at the kernels of wisdom, several times. "Patience is power" was one I needed to underscore, for myself. Simple, right? How come I forget to use it? The instructions for improving one's coping skills with humor, optimism, patience, and empathy are well-written. The chapters are well-organized and clear. I think young adults worrying about adult things for the first time would benefit greatly from this book, as well as world-weary seasoned people just trying to make life simpler, happier, and less challenging. It's not only about health challenge, though certainly people suffering from sickness would definitely benefit from the contents of this important book. I look forward to Rusty Williams' next book. I care about what he has to say after reading this one.

The author shares his story and the lessons he has learned along the way with a compassionate, kind, loving voice. By the end of the book, he feels like a wise old friend. Weaving his own story among the stories of others to understand the power of hope, the importance of gratitude, and the beauty in humor, optimism, patience, and empathy. He also includes some interesting and informative studies on the power of resiliency and our human capacity to survive against overwhelming odds. Rusty exudes all of those qualities and beautifully communicates his message. For anyone who is going through a painful experience or just needing some encouragement to get through the ups and downs of life, this book will be a helpful companion to accompany you on your journey. You will laugh, cry, and just want to hug him through the pages.

If you are finding yourself in an insurmountable situation or if you are dealing with events way beyond your control - this is the book for you !The author shares many of his own personal experiences, including Very daunting medical challenges, with specific ways to apply these brilliant tools. In a very straightforward and practical way he shows how Gratitude in HOPE - Humor, Optimism, Patience, & Empathy are transformative and powerful. This book is helpful, clinically sound, and if I might borrow a phrase from him - spot on.

Finding Gratitude in Hope is a reader-friendly guide to living in the complicated world we find ourselves in today. A retired EMT, township police officer and school resource officer, and ordained minister, Rusty Williams has developed and shared his philosophy of life in this very readable little volume, showing how he applies the four virtues implicit in the acronym H.O.P.E. to get through all the baffling situations with which our lives present us. The examples he relates in the section on Humor will have you laughing out loud; I will never forget the image of Rusty, a cop of rather small stature, stopping a bad guy who towered over him who was wanted on a warrant. On the side of highway, the gangster tells Rusty he is not going down to the station with him. Rusty somehow manages to convince the big fellow to play a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who is going to win the stand-off. Rusty's supervisor drives up as the game is going on, and this reader would give anything to have seen a dashcam recording of the next few moments! Humor can defuse almost any tense situation, and examples like this keep the reader turning pages to see how all the virtues Rusty writes about can inspire gratitude in all of us.

Rusty Williams is a very compassionate writer who draws you into his writing. This is a well-written book that offers encouragement to anyone facing challenges. Rusty offers advice on how to cope with the tough moments in your life by finding gratitude and hope in these moments rather than focusing on the negative. This book offers you hope and practical ways to deal with life's challenges. Based on personal experiences and challenges, this book seems like a conversation with an old friend.

The healing process can sometimes be harsh if you have no tools to work with. This book provides practical and simple tools to daily apply.

I didn't know what to anticipate when I started reading this book, but the author skillfully shares his personal journey and how he navigated challenging times with a remarkable outlook on life.

The author takes the readers on his healing journey with a symptomatic chronic health condition. It is narrated from the experience of a former first responder, law officer, chaplain, active dogs’ rescuer, and a warm family man. The book is an intimate, compassionate, down-to-earth, and empowering conversation. It offers practical strategies for experiencing healing emotions and inspires transformation in our relating to life’s challenges, some of which must be accepted.

Using examples from his own life - and showing how those may parallel issues in our own lives, Rusty explains in clear and simple terms, how we might look at life’s obstacles in a different light and use them to actually improve life and live happier, healthy and more productive lives. A little ‘adjustment’ in our ‘default wiring’ is all we need - and Rusty shows the ways to do that. Easy to read, clear examples, clear decisions and results. Thank you, Rusty, for this very positive book!