My friend Violet is a senior citizen who has crocheted more than 100 blankets and shawls for me to pass out to nursing home residents. Despite a long cancer battle, Violet works serenely and incredibly fast. She says that creating the blankets gives

I fell in love with Precious Moments figurines in 1979, when I was barely a teenager. My mother had begun collecting the delicate porcelain figurines of soulful children almost as soon as the original 21 pieces were released on the market in 1978. Sh

We’d been on the road for nearly three hours in our refurbished RV, a blistering August day with temperatures in the low 100s. I cradled my nine-year-old dachshund, Roscoe, in my lap as we crept through little Pendleton, Oregon, peering out the passe

Gigi’s—The Animal Lovers Gift Shop was the name of my business. Gigi was my nickname, and I loved animals as much as my customers did. I adored all God’s creatures equally, but Gigi’s specialized in products for dogs of uncommon breeds. “You probably

“Never underestimate the difference you made and the lives you touched.” Those were the words on the plaque hanging in my kitchen. I read them over whenever I was missing my old teacher days. Like that morning last year, when I was due to help out in

I magine my surprise when I discovered that my late mother had placed a baby for adoption before I was born. I had a big sister I’d never met! Her name was Lisa, and we bonded immediately. She wanted to know everything I could tell her about our mom.

The crowds in San Juan, Puerto Rico, were swirling around me as I stared down at my phone, praying that the map would give me an idea of where I was. I looked up, left and right. Nope, no idea. I’d taken a taxi that morning to check out the central f

The summer after my husband and I moved into our present home, my mother and I took advantage of the bounty of fruit from the fig trees on our property. We had the best time canning jams, jellies and preserves. Unexpectedly, Mama passed away that fal

We were halfway through an 11-day biblical tour of Israel, traveling by bus. The trip was a first for me, but a return experience for my wife. This morning’s destination was considered to be one of the holiest Christian sites in the world, a real hig

New neighbors were an exciting prospect in our quiet neighborhood. When a couple moved into the house kitty-corner to us, I looked forward to seeing what they would do with the property. The house sat on an unadorned lot, a real eyesore on the block

I sat by my dad’s hospital bedside holding his hand, praying silently. He’d been in a trucking accident that left him in a coma. I begged God to let him wake up. Since Dad had strayed from his faith long ago, I was worried about him making it to heav

Hair-styling tools and skin care products cluttered the countertop around the sink in my teenage daughters’ bathroom. Doesn’t really go with the cartoon bird wallpaper, I thought as I hung some clean towels. It was probably time to give this bathroom

What a predicament! I was searching for the rental store to return table linens from a party we’d thrown at the house the night before. I knew it was right around the big shopping center on my right. I was thinking I was close, when my car suddenly d

There I was, coming up on my sixty-second birthday. God had helped bring me to a good stage in my life. I’d retired from my career as an executive. I had raised four children and was helping raise two of my nine grandchildren. And I thought I’d made

Sunday morning, I got ready for church earlier than usual. Although I’d visited the Victory Church in Middlefield, Connecticut, several times and met some of the people in the congregation, today would be the first time I would attend a Sunday servic

My dad was a fine sailor. How well I remember the first time he took me out for a lesson in our little dinghy, the water smooth in the morning hours, the wind still soft on the bay. I clutched the tiller. “Where do you feel the wind coming from?” he

Money had never been my biggest priority in life. My husband and I had raised our two children just fine with love overflowing and within the budget our salaries allowed. But when my daughter, Toni, got engaged, I don’t know what came over me. I envi

I parked my car outside our summer cabin in northern Arizona. I was longing for a peaceful weekend of relaxation—but strangely, none of my neighbors were around. That was a little more quiet than I wanted. I hurried to unload the car in the dwindling

near midnight I knelt beside the altar in the hospital chapel, hoping that God would hear my prayer. It was maybe the hardest prayer I’d ever offered up. “I love my mother. I’ve been here beside her for three weeks. I know she won’t be cured of her c

ERIC STARK, BRAZIL, INDIANA The day before Father’s Day, my 14-year-old son, Nathan, and I walked into the auto repair shop and told the man at the counter that our car needed new brake pads. He nodded efficiently and pointed us toward the waiting ar

Twenty years had passed since the last time the Clark family had all gotten together. What with our own families, jobs and military service, we weren’t easy to herd into one place. So when my sister Imogene arranged for all us siblings to gather with

A recent bout of pneumonia had robbed me of my strength. I was getting better every day, but even simple tasks could still leave me exhausted. Around the house, I relied on my husband, Len, to step in with more of the housework than usual, especially

Predawn walks with my poodle, Graci, used to be a favorite part of the day. We’d always ventured out extra early, so we had plenty of time together before I had to get ready for work. Now that I was unemployed, we continued our habit, but my fruitles

My three-year-old son, Matt, settled into bed. “Mom-my, I like our new house, but I wish we could find my puzzles.” I nodded. This move had been a challenge. The packers we hired put items in the most random places. I’d found the iron in a box labele

Hymns played quietly in the hospital room. We’d turned the lights down low. My sister, Laura, had been unconscious for several hours. I sat on one side of her bed. Her 21-year-old son sat on the other. Laura’s ex-husband and sister-in-law were there

With the guidance of the hospice nurse, I helped Bob back in-to bed. We’d set him up in the bedroom just off the living room of our small house. With my husband resting comfortably for the moment, I slipped away to make some calls to family. Bob and