“It is always darkest just before the dawn” is a quote often shared during difficult times. Recently I became curious; where did this quote originate? Apparently the oldest reference is Thomas Fuller in 1650, although it’s not clear if he wrote it or...
As a child I always hated marigolds. That orange color, the pungent smell, their little spiky leaves—nothing about them appealed to me. I can still picture the sparse little bursts of color in clay pots on our patio that, no matter how much...
Sondra worked hard the past five years to make significant changes in her life. Working at a daycare center and attending class at night she went back to school and finished her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. She decided she wanted to become a...
“In my class all the kids are mean to me. They make fun of what I look like. I tell my teacher but it doesn’t help.” I’ve just met Mark and he’s telling me why he gets so angry. “I can’t...
“I just can’t stay put; I’ve moved every four years since I turned eighteen. I couldn’t wait to get out on my own and explore, but recently I realized I honestly can’t stay in one place more than two years. I’ve lived all...
“I have a good job, pay my bills, spend time with my kids, and remember to call family and friends on their birthdays. I’m not perfect; I could be in better shape or volunteer more often. But Amy, I’m sick and tired of...
It’s a warm, sunny afternoon outside, but inside an upset mother is recounting her young daughter’s latest week. “I just don’t know what to do with her anymore. I don’t let her have play dates and all her activities have been cancelled, but...
“Every morning I drag myself out of bed, get the kids ready for school, and barely make it on time to work. My job’s fine, not great, but it pays the bills. My marriage’s ok. I don’t really have anything to complain...
“Please just make these feelings go away.” Jerald looked up from our game of Sorry! with big blue tear-filled eyes. “I don’t want to be sad anymore. Can’t you tell me how to make it stop?” Jerald, in his seven-year-old wisdom,...
“She was my one true love. We met in high school, full of acne and awful hair styles. Neither of us were college people, so we graduated, got married and started working hard. We never had luxuries, but we had enough. ...
