As I drove home from my mother’s funeral, I was struck by the deeply sad thought that with both of my parents dead, I had become an orphan. I was feeling...

When I was a child, my grandma taught me to memorize Bible verses. She told me that when she had trouble sleeping, she would try to recall all of the passages...

I serve a small church in Estonia. One Sunday morning before the service began, the phone rang and a desperate mother said to me, “Our son Romet has been diagnosed with...

Both bread bakers, my husband and I may follow the same recipes, but we approach the task of baking differently. He’s meticulous, determining water temperature with a thermometer and measuring flour...

Now that I’m retired, I look forward to my trips to a nearby park to walk through the woods. Often as I walk, the sunlight filters through the trees and shines...

When I was eight years old, my father built a new house for us to live in. One afternoon while working on the house, he was also looking after my younger...

One beautiful autumn day, I took the day off to go for a hike in the mountains along the ridge near the Delaware Water Gap where the raptor migration was at...

I work in an Alzheimer’s unit at an assisted-living facility. When I tell residents that it’s lunchtime, it’s not uncommon for them to tell me they have no money to pay...

We spent three nights in a small, remote Cape coastal village. Due to the absence of light pollution, the night sky was ablaze with stars, planets, and all manner of twinkling...

As a new social worker, I quickly realized that counseling teens through trauma, anxiety, depression, and conflict can be draining and overwhelming. I began to feel discontent with the job I...