In 1971 I was 19 years old, wandering the country and trying to figure out life. One day I had hitchhiked and found myself at a rest stop along a lonely...

Several years ago, on a sunny afternoon in June, I was walking past a pond near some woods. I’ve walked past this pond on multiple occasions, but on this particular day,...

My house looks clean. The furniture is nicely arranged and looks presentable; the rooms are ventilated and display a sunny appearance. However, when I sweep the floors and do my weekly...

In 1965 I was a US Navy pilot serving aboard an aircraft carrier. I was on a plane that returned to the ship just before sunrise — when that narrowest sliver...

On my first Easter in Greece a friend took me to an Orthodox church for the Holy Saturday nighttime service. Hundreds of people gathered for this important occasion — each bearing...

When I was a teenager, during summer holidays I worked at a large house, trimming extensive hedges, cutting the lawns, and watering plants in the numerous flower beds. The house was...

For seven years I belonged to a rural Mennonite congregation that met in a little country church. One older woman, Greta, had made it clear when I joined that she resented...

As the caller told me I did not get the teaching job, I felt discouraged and forgotten. My two young children attended the school and the principal knew me well, so...

My granddaughter, Gaby, was studying for her driving test, though she was ambivalent about it. I kept encouraging her to consider the fact that she would soon begin classes at university...