The French word for “encourage” – simply “encourager” – means “to put heart into.” The French word for “discourage” – “décourager” – means “to take heart from.”
In that context, Helen MacDonald Exum was a great encourager.
When the Mohney family moved to Chattanooga in 1965, we immediately became aware that there were two newspapers, the Times and the Free Press, and we took both of them. It was my interest in food and gardening that caused me to read Helen’s written words. Her cookbook was right beside my Bible.
Later, as I began to speak to groups throughout the city, I often saw Helen in the audience. Then in 1978, she telephoned me to say, “Nell, we’d like to start carrying an article about people and their faith, and we’d like you to write it.”
Immediately, I told her all the reasons I couldn’t possibly do it – I didn’t have time; I didn’t know that many people; and I didn’t know how to write professionally. Quickly she suggested, “Nell, write like you speak.” When I continued to decline the offer, she spoke a sentence that I’ve used as a mantra through the years – “Nell, it’s an open door. Walk through it.”