From Poppy with Love

With special guest:

• Rev Dr John Killinger
  … in conversation with Bill Kable

In today’s program we are invited into the usually private world of conversations between a grandparent and his grandchildren. Strangely we can get the message very clearly from the other side of the world but the grandchildren themselves are completely unaware of the one way conversations in the letters written to them, letters that are so tender, thoughtful, wise and loving.

In his book From Poppy with Love: Letters from a Grandfather to the Grandchildren He Isn’t Allowed to See Dr John Killinger addresses his pain at being excluded from his four grandchildren in the best way he knows how by writing letters setting out the lives and dreams and personalities of the grandparents they were prevented from seeing. This has by no means been an easy task as it is a constant reminder of the separation. However John has benefitted from the cathartic effect of his writing and he hopes that one day his grandchildren will have the opportunity to read the letters contained in three volumes published by The Intermundia Press. In this way they will be able to get an understanding of their provenance.

John is an eloquent speaker having taught at seminars and universities in America including Princeton, Vanderbilt and Chicago and is the author of many books. John’s wife Anne, or Grammy as she is described in the books, plays a big part in the stories but does not write to the grandchildren because she found it too painful. However Anne did write a very popular book A Son Is A Son Until He Gets a Wife: How Toxic Daughters-In-Law Destroy Families. This helped start a growing movement called Alienated Grandparents Anonymous (AGA) which has provided a lot of solace to grandparents throughout the world who find themselves in this situation.

Even listeners who have not had a problem getting to see their grandchildren will appreciate the naked sensitivity expressed in these letters and the many subjects they touch upon. These books are for children, parents and grandparents who need more wisdom in dealing with their families.

Rev Dr John Killinger

Rev Dr John Killinger is a noted Minister and Theologian as well as a husband, father and grandfather. He has been a pastor in various churches from New York to Los Angeles and has taught at several seminaries and universities in the United States. He is the author of many books and has travelled widely with his loving wife Anne who tragically died some two years ago before being reunited with her younger son and her grandchildren. John Killinger addresses his pain in the separation from his grandchildren but also inspires by his determined optimism and the practical steps he has taken to help himself and others.

Song selection by our guest: O God, Our Help in Ages Past by Sheffield Cathedral Choir

Note: This program is an encore presentation of the one aired on 8 December 2016.

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