A Life Well Lived: Debbie Harned
Debbie was someone who lived on the periphery of my life. Like so many people to so many of us, she was one of those individuals you know at a certain point due to a certain circumstance that you know will change (high school, church, neighborhood). But, Debbie was someone I never forgot, even though I went from seeing her on a semi-regular basis to not at all.
To me Debbie exemplified a life well lived, and the stories told at her funeral today proved it. You would expect to hear that about someone who passed away after 80 or so years, but Debbie was only 47, leaving behind a husband and two young sons.
For me, Debbie was someone who made sure that everything she did had meaning. She thought no task was too insignificant to be done, especially if it was done for someone else.
This is what led her to write letters to people literally all over the world. As the founder of Anchor Ministries, Debbie knew the powerful encouragement that can only come with a hand-written letter. It today’s world of quick emails and impersonal communication, a letter that arrives in your mailbox can nearly seem like a relic from the past. But there’s not a single one of us who still doesn’t like to get mail, whether it’s a birthday card from grandma or a postcard from a friend abroad.
Debbie knew that people the world over were going through tough times and needed to be given hope. And Debbie thought that a small symbol of this hope would be a letter. So, she set out to write words of encouragement to people she’d never met, people who needed a friend, people who needed to know that they were not alone.
And so she wrote.
And wrote.
And wrote.
And when she was done, she’d sent nearly 14,000 letters. That’s the equivalent of a letter a day for over 38 years.
In this simple act that happened in minutes at a time, Debbie changed the world. She used a sheet of paper, a pen, an envelope and a stamp to spread hope around the globe. One simple act, with such deep meaning, can really make a difference.
Who should you write a letter to today?
To me Debbie exemplified a life well lived, and the stories told at her funeral today proved it. You would expect to hear that about someone who passed away after 80 or so years, but Debbie was only 47, leaving behind a husband and two young sons.
For me, Debbie was someone who made sure that everything she did had meaning. She thought no task was too insignificant to be done, especially if it was done for someone else.
This is what led her to write letters to people literally all over the world. As the founder of Anchor Ministries, Debbie knew the powerful encouragement that can only come with a hand-written letter. It today’s world of quick emails and impersonal communication, a letter that arrives in your mailbox can nearly seem like a relic from the past. But there’s not a single one of us who still doesn’t like to get mail, whether it’s a birthday card from grandma or a postcard from a friend abroad.
Debbie knew that people the world over were going through tough times and needed to be given hope. And Debbie thought that a small symbol of this hope would be a letter. So, she set out to write words of encouragement to people she’d never met, people who needed a friend, people who needed to know that they were not alone.
And so she wrote.
And wrote.
And wrote.
And when she was done, she’d sent nearly 14,000 letters. That’s the equivalent of a letter a day for over 38 years.
In this simple act that happened in minutes at a time, Debbie changed the world. She used a sheet of paper, a pen, an envelope and a stamp to spread hope around the globe. One simple act, with such deep meaning, can really make a difference.
Who should you write a letter to today?
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Comments (7)
5:42 PM
Sam:
Thanks for your heartfelt words regarding Debbie. I'm her cousin and have known and loved her since the minute she came into our family. The testimony of her life, those moments shared by the pastor, a fellow chaplain, and Myrte (her mentor), were . . . I don't know how to express it. She touched so many lives. I had no idea.
Thank you for your prayers for Debbie, Kelly, and the boys . . . and the rest of us.
Carolyn
6:05 PM
It sounds like Debbie had a profound life. I regret that I never knew her. Definitely my loss.
7:29 PM
Sam, I had no idea that Debbie passed until I got your post on my reader just now. I worked with Debbie at Baptist Hospital and served on a couple of committees with her. My job was eliminated a month ago. I am so upset that nobody from Baptist called me to let me know of her passing. Thank you for writing about her. She was SO precious and I miss her.
8:32 PM
Wow, Sam. I just found this out from your post, too. I didn't know Debbie well, but I knew that she was a deeply compassionate person. I remember being in the same Sunday School teacher meetings from time to time, and I could always tell that she was devoted to the students we were teaching. I'm saddened to learn of her passing but really touched to know that she did so much for other people.
10:16 AM
Words can't even express how much Debbie Harned touched my life. I met her the first time when I was a teenager at Madison Height's Baptist Church. She and Kelly became our youth leaders. I have so many fond memories... riding in the most busted-up VW van to a mission trip... prayer groups on the beach at sunrise in Florida... my first mission trip to Cherokee, NC.
I was so sad when I heard of her passing, but then remembered that she is in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ. She has her reward for touching so many lives in His name. God Bless You, Debbie. I love you.
10:57 AM
this is a good history, but I feel a little bit sad for Debbie, with only that age and with all those problems, but all in this world have a solution, except death of course.
2:52 PM
This is a good reading because Debbie reminded me a woman who lived in my neighborhood she was so hardworking and kind that's why reading this reading I had excellent memories about her.
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