Just before Christmas, my best friend Sandra’s husband, Doug, died of a sudden heart attack at only 59 years old. Sandra was devastated. I found that Doug’s death brought back memories...

When I was younger, my brother and I loved playing video games. Often the games had the option to restart after we expended the “lives” we started out with. We had...

In our modern times, many cultures promote the importance of being independent and self-reliant. Independence is considered a vital character trait and is something we stubbornly hang on to, even when...

While looking through old photos, I came across one taken when I had gone to a family reunion with my then fiancé, Tom. Everyone was gathered for a family photo, and...

If my son is running around our house and hurts himself, he will cry out. And if it hurts a lot, he may cry out with tears. My son doesn’t have...

One evening I needed to update the sign by the front door of the church where I was serving. We had been meeting in the church basement lately, so the entryway...

While I was taking care of a patient one day, he said to me, “You are shining in this place.” I looked at him in awe. Every day I prayed that...

My wife and I were on a much-needed vacation, hiking the mountains and canyons of northern Arizona. We had gone through several months of challenging times, and the fresh air and...

When I arrived for dinner with a new friend from church, she introduced me to another guest, “Come and meet Kathleen.” As I entered the lounge I was surprised to find...

In 1955, when I was 11, my mom and I spent the fall in Louisville, Kentucky, at the home of Dr. Abbie Clement Jackson, my “adoptive” grandmother. Her neighborhood, my Boy...