My oldest brother was always in trouble. I'm not talking about cat torturing, teacher threatening, out-of-control, out-of-his mind trouble, Casey was known for getting into "boys-will-be-boys" trouble. Until last week. I got a phone call on … [Read more...]

It would be morbid to start off by telling you what motivated me to share my story. Consider this the buffer. I was reading the Sunday paper last week, glancing over the obituaries (as I usually do) and I recognized a name. The father of an old … [Read more...]

There's a special closeness between a mother and her adult son: an exceptional understanding, a mutual admiration, the enjoyment of just being together. But that wasn't exactly the case for Candy and Kyle. It's the spring of 2020 in suburban … [Read more...]

I'm sixty-three years old, and I'm living in the worst of times. The virus is spreading all around me. I just heard about the sister of a friend who "got it." It took a while to sink in. It seemed like months, but it was only weeks until America … [Read more...]

I am a first-grade teacher and a first-grader taught me a lesson last week. The assignment I gave to my young students was to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. Many of the kids drew pictures of their family, their pets, or a … [Read more...]

This is a story about a modern-day American Princess and her Prince Charming. It is not a fairy tale. It's a true story and, it doesn't have a totally happy ending. But it does have hope. Princess Elizabeth was daddy's little girl until the day … [Read more...]

He was just a kid back then. A lonely kid, bewildered by how his life took a bad turn. It wasn’t his fault - he knew that yet somehow he felt responsible. He felt guilty. He felt dirty. That’s how Johann described it to me thirty-five years later … [Read more...]

The Rock Island Prayer Group heard about a teacher who mystified his students with his insight. The ladies and gentlemen were all curious and and invited him to come to their January prayer meeting. After introductions the humble teacher told … [Read more...]

Hannah notices things others miss. The other day she was standing in line at McDonalds. It was lunchtime and the place was packed. The door to the right of where she was standing opened and a gush of cold wind shot through the front end of the fast … [Read more...]

It’s not easy for me to forgive my sister. It’s been seven long years since the incident that ended our relationship. Each day is a new day of hurt and longing to be back in the family’s good graces. Each day I relive that fateful day and I get angry … [Read more...]