On my first trip to New York City, I was greatly impressed by the tall skyscrapers that form the Manhattan skyline. However, the exteriors of these structures conceal much more than...

I was born into a Christian family, but I married a non-believer. After 25 years of marriage, my husband was hospitalized. The doctor said that the infection in his blood would...

One of my nephews called to tell me that he had lost the bracelet I gave him for his birthday and wanted to know where I had bought it. I remembered...

As a young boy, I fantasized that my first day on the baseball team was the beginning of a major-league career. However, my father’s war injury had prevented him from teaching...

I teach creative writing to adults, including many older adults. Recently I learned that one of my students had died after a short, intense illness. It wasn’t easy sharing this news...

At the beach one Saturday, I was doing some fishing while watching the sun rise. The brilliant colors seemed to pop out. This awesome sight caused me to pause to thank...

My patient has dementia, and her husband of 50 years is doing everything he can to care for her. He washes her soiled linens, provides her meals, and arranges all the...

The most beautiful plant in our home is in our bathroom. It is a November cactus, and it amazes with its beautiful flowering, even in conditions where other flowers fight for...

In the 1970s, one winter afternoon after classes, I hurried to Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery to study a painting entitled Appearance of Christ to the People by Alexander Ivanov. My plan...

When I was a child, the tropical outdoors of Nigeria where I lived beckoned to me. In grass, rocks, dirt, mud, cement patio — whatever the setting — I found a...