Mom Hansen’s Eulogy

On November 10, 2024, Betsy Hansen passed from this life into the presence of the Savior she loved. Mom Hansen was one of the most influential women in my life, not least because she brought Katie into it! Here are the remarks I shared about her at her funeral.

30th Anniversary

Today, December 17, 2024, would have been Katie’s and my 30th Anniversary. To commemorate this day, I reflect back on some stories from our wedding day. God’s goodness and steadfast love have followed me through many years of sorrow and loss. On this day, I remember both: the grief and the goodness.

“I Love the Perspective that Comes with Having Cancer” S03 | E22

Katie hated almost everything about cancer treatment, except for the perspective cancer brings. She had a high tolerance for pain but a low tolerance for medication. Constant check-ups and scans left her feeling exposed and anxious. The surgeries, scars and hair loss felt like an assault on her womanhood. Yet, she could write without hesitation… Continue reading “I Love the Perspective that Comes with Having Cancer” S03 | E22

Reflections and Hopes for a New Year (2014) S03 | E21

Katie Hubbard closes out 2013 with a long journal entry on everything she had done since mid-November of that year. (She didn’t journal a lot during that time because her journal went missing for a month.) It’s amazing to consider all she did after finishing chemo, radiation, and reconstructive surgery. It would have been a… Continue reading Reflections and Hopes for a New Year (2014) S03 | E21

Katie Hubbard, the Auburn Tigers Fan S03 | E20

Lest anyone think I (Norman Hubbard) edit Katie’s journals heavily when I read them on air, let this podcast stand as testimony. In early December 2013, you get pure Katie Hubbard, the quintessential Auburn Tigers football fan. (Really, the “kick 6” game might be one of the greatest moments in sports!) You also see another… Continue reading Katie Hubbard, the Auburn Tigers Fan S03 | E20

Reconstructive Surgery and Gratitude S03 | E19

In this episode, Katie Hubbard talks about reconstructive surgery with her followers on Caring Bridge. It may be the only time you hear her publicly threaten to beat you with a baseball bat. And she reflects on a common theme in her journals: having a lot of stuff doesn’t make you grateful.

“Katie Hubbard, Beloved Child of God” S03 | E17

In the previous podcast, we found Katie Hubbard struggling with the idea that her life, taken by cancer, might be dispensable. Here, we find her breakthrough as she writes out, Romans 8:38: “For I am persuaded that … death … shall not be able to separate us from the love of God.” She goes on… Continue reading “Katie Hubbard, Beloved Child of God” S03 | E17

“I Feel Shaken To The Core” S03 | E16

Katie Hubbard grapples with the distressing notion that cancer might kill her, and God might regard her life as “dispensable.” In her words: “I feel shaken to the core. I feel sad. I just feel totally dispensable. How do you face your life being taken away? Not being here at all?! It might not even… Continue reading “I Feel Shaken To The Core” S03 | E16

Most of the Things We Desire Leave Us Empty When They Become Ours S03 | E15

In her journey with cancer, Katie Hubbard learned a thing or two about what truly satisfies. To God, she wrote, “You are the one thing that I crave and desire that FULFILLS. Everything else leaves me feeling empty.”