As predicted, the severe thunderstorms had blown through our area with a vengeance; but now the sun shone more radiantly than usual. Yet I felt as broken as the tree limbs...

Strip clubs aren’t places you would typically expect a church group to go in search of friends. But for years, my friend Tonya and other women from her church went there...

A woman whom I had supervised 35 years before was reaching her retirement and asked me to say a few words on her behalf. I happily agreed. In the presentation of...

Our congregation was shocked when our pastor’s wife, Susan, died unexpectedly at age 55. She had been taking care of her mother out of town, so our pastor immediately left to...

One of my earliest childhood memories is when my grandparents surprised us by arriving at our doorstep unannounced. They lived eight hours away so we were overjoyed to see them. My...

I have always been fascinated by Kintsugi, the traditional Japanese art of mending broken pieces of pottery with liquid gold, silver, or lacquer — thus highlighting and enhancing the breaks and...

One day in school, I saw classmates bullying a girl in my class. They ganged up on her, saying really mean things to her. She seemed on the verge of tears....

I grew up braving bees, skunks, and thorns to pick wild blackberries for the promise of winter pies. Recently, I picked alone, leaning into the thorny vines as always. I knew...

Psychologist Jean Piaget carried out psychological experiments in which he observed that very young babies (under six months old) would be clearly interested in a toy placed a few yards in...

Each Friday, people flock to a farmers market near my home to buy meats, cheeses, produce, and other items. Shoppers look for different things — according to their needs. That’s just...