For a time I lived in a country far from my parents. At one point my mother got sick and was hospitalized, then passed away after months of painful treatments. Unable...

When an overseas missionary came to speak at our church, I was reminded of my own short-term mission trips to Liberia over 10 years ago. In my heart, I long to...

When I was a child, I loved riding the merry-go-round. Watching the world spin by in a blur was fun. Getting dizzy and trying to walk a straight line after hopping...

A few years ago, I was struggling with postpartum depression. I felt as though my life had veered off course; my ambitions stalled in the wake of motherhood, and I felt...

When traveling in northern Mexico, I have noticed that during late summer and early fall it is common to see large strings of chili peppers, known as “ristras,” hanging from buildings...

My first sentence as a child was, “I do it myself.” From the earliest years of my life, being fiercely independent has been part of my identity. It is a trait...

When my mother passed away in 1982, I became an orphan and was raised in an environment without honesty or trust. With no firm foundation to rely on as a child,...

I love to watch the birds from my kitchen window. After refilling the feeder one day, I watched as a single bird arrived, grabbed a seed and flew off through the...

When I attended the 50-year reunion for my high school class, it was fun to reconnect with classmates I had not seen in decades. I chatted with two friends whom I...

One morning, I bent over and experienced an excruciating snap in my spine. My back locked up, leaving me in an awkward position, and I screamed in pain. Two weeks of...