I was nearing the end of my walk, approaching the last bend before the wide-open field, when a voice startled me. “Guys, I need help!” a child’s voice cried out from beneath the bridge. I paused, looking toward the direction of the voice, when a group of kids, like a swarm of bees, suddenly appeared…
At the start of summer, we said goodbye to our friends. They moved two states away. Despite the passing of time and the start of fall, I still feel the loss of them. Our friendship began through our children. My daughter, though older than their son, was determined to become his first friend. And through…
Birdie’s Bargain begins with a prayer. It’s a prayer that many of us have prayed when we reached the end of ourselves. When ten-year old Birdie’s dad is stationed in Iraq, she is distraught. She tries making sense of the chaos surrounding her and the questions within her. As she sifts through her tumultuous feelings,…
One brisk morning in fall, when the leaves fell from the trees and the wind rattled the windows, my daughter woke with a persistent cough and fever. The kind that makes you pause your list of to-do’s and just be. I soon filled the bathtub and sat beside it, reading her story after story. Because…
On a warm Saturday afternoon, our ten-year old neighbor from Italy stopped by. He’s lived in our community for several years, and I often enjoy chatting with him. He and the rest of the neighborhood gang were taking a break from playing soccer to have an impromptu picnic. One kid brought strawberries, another grapes. My…
