Personal Change

The Letter

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:22:00 -0500

The letter came on a frantic spring day, knee-deep in planning my daughter Keri's wedding. I wouldn't have noticed it except for the strange brown envelope. The paper was thin and crinkly. The stamps looked odd, too—-foreign. Then I saw the postmark: Harare, Zimbabwe.

Father Pitches With a Purpose

batch — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:05:10 -0600

The odds are stacked against 33-year-old right-handed minor league pitcher Scott Atchison as he prepares to try out for the Boston Red Sox this spring.

But he's doing it for his 2-year-old daughter, who has showed him that no obstacle is too tough to overcome.

Callie, the first child of Scott and Sarah Atchison, was born with the rare genetic disease thrombocytopenia-absent radius (TAR), the Boston Globe reports.

You Changed My Life, Peter

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:07:00 -0500

I read the letter, my damp, trembling fingers sticking to the crisp ivory paper. It was from Columbia University. "We are pleased to inform you..." I'd been accepted to the Master of Fine Arts writing program! I was moving to New York City to pursue my dreams!

Then guilt overshadowed my excitement.

You Changed My Life, Peter

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:07:00 -0500

Then guilt overshadowed my excitement.

Heroism 101

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:42:00 -0500

Mark Lerer, a freshman at the State University of New York in Rockland, has a tendency to run out on his classes. "It's okay with my professors," he says. "They just prefer that I sit near the door."

Why the permissive attitude? Mark's a volunteer firefighter with the Rockland County Fire Department, and at 19 is one of the youngest members.

"You're never off duty," he explains, adding that he sometimes has to skip out on his job at a waiter as well. "Everyone understands that the firehouse is my top priority."

Easter: Day of Glorious Hope

mcherkezian — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:35:43 -0600

The most tremendous of all earthly events took place almost 2,000 years ago when Jesus of Nazareth, put to death by the cruel power of Rome, rose from His tomb and appeared again to His sorrowing followers.

With their despair turned to joy, they were inspired to carry His spirit and His teachings to the ends of the earth.

That was the first and greatest Easter experience. But Easter experiences have been happening ever since. They happen every day.

Wonder Dog

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:57:04 -0500

It started with small things. I'd wake up in the morning feeling weak and unrested, despite having slept through the night. Maneuvering the groceries out of my car, I'd suddenly get so dizzy I'd have to put the bag down on the ground to get my bearings again. As someone who has lived with MS for more than 30 years, I was used to coping with my symptoms. But these new episodes were distressing.

Mini Marathon Runners

mcherkezian — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:37:55 -0600

An eight-year-old running a marathon? Impossible, you say. But what if those 26.2 miles were broken up into short increments, run over several months? It’s called a kids’ marathon, and it’s catching on all over the United States, where childhood obesity rates having tripled in the past 30 years.

Re-discovered

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:23:25 -0500

The bulldozer drove back and forth over the mountain of photographs—several hundred thousand dollars' worth, more than a decade of my hard work. I stood at the Fort Myers, Florida, county dump, watching it get ground into the dirt. Was this all my whole life really added up to?

"I've Got to Get the Driver Out!"

admin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:18:02 -0600

"I don't know why you're trying to control my life!" I yelled. "I'm not doing drugs like some kids. I'm not going out and getting drunk every night. Why don't you just leave me alone?"

The truth was my parents had good reason for concern. The only classes I was passing in high school were country-and-western dancing and athletics. At home, I fought constantly with my parents, breaking their rules by staying out until 4 a.m.