A Well Paved Path to Retirement- Hardin's Straight Paths Retires After More Than a Decade in the Beacon

A Well Paved Path to Retirement-

Hardin's Straight Paths Retires After

More Than a Decade in the Beacon

Pamela Hall

The Ashland Beacon

Loren Hardin of Portsmouth, OH, never intended to become a newspaper journalist. He was a social worker with a hospice organization by trade, not a writer. He didn’t even particularly like his English classes when he was in high school. So, writing a newspaper column, let alone having it published in four different newspapers, was not part of his plan. However, God had a different plan, and for the past 25 years, Loren has written a column called “Straight Paths.”

In his position with hospice, Loren would visit with patients who were entering hospice care or perhaps were already under hospice care. He began to realize that everyone has a story. He would hear things that were very inspiring to him, and he would feel the need to share them with someone else, while keeping patient confidentiality, of course.

After leaving a patient, he began writing things down—notes and quotes that had touched him. He began to feel compelled to pass these along. Sometimes he would share a story as a means of encouragement to another hospice patient who was going through a similar situation. At times, he would share a story at his church Bible study if it was relevant to the discussion.

“By sharing their story,” Loren explained, “I felt that someone might think, ‘Maybe if they can do that, then I can too,’ or ‘If God can do that for them, then maybe He can do that for me.’ It’s a source of inspiration.”

One year, a local newspaper wanted to do a feature story about hospice for National Hospice Week. The reporter visited some patients with Loren and heard their stories. Loren explained how he kept notes on things that inspired him.

Loren began to wonder, however, if perhaps he was just wasting his time by writing the notes.

“I prayed, ‘Lord, I don’t see any way to use these. Why take time to write these down?’” Loren related. “And then there’s this still, small voice that said, ‘You just keep going.’”

Shortly after praying that prayer, Loren received a call from the reporter who had previously made visits with him. The reporter asked Loren if he would like to write a column based on the notes he had kept. “That was the Lord opening that door,” Loren said confidently.

Loren recalls taking his first article to the newspaper office on a floppy disk. He stood in front of the glass doors to the building and began having doubts.

“I almost turned around,” he said. “I thought to myself, ‘Who do you think you are? You’re no writer.’ But I took the plunge and took it in. It’s been 25 years now.”

Loren retired from his position as a social worker three years ago. As a result, he feels like it is also time to retire his column. He published a book compiling the columns a few years ago and is currently working on a second book. These stories will continue to be a blessing and an inspiration to readers through these books.

There is no doubt that Loren will also continue to be a blessing to others during this season of retirement. It will be exciting to see what door God will open for him next.

Happy retirement, Loren!