Prosperity

Empty Nest No More

admin — Tue, 01 May 2007 06:43:00 -0500

"Empty-nest syndrome, all right," I mumbled. The headline got my attention. I folded the paper back up, took off my reading glasses and chewed on the arm of the frames. It was a nervous habit I had whenever I was thinking, and that day I had a lot to think about.

My son Owen was finishing his junior year of high school. Summer vacation hadn't even started yet, but soon he'd be applying to colleges and picking out a tuxedo for his last prom. The year would fly by.

"I'll Just Build My Own"

mcherkezian — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:30:40 -0600

William Powell died on New Year's Eve at the age of 93 following complications from a stroke. We remember his inspiring story here.

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Retail Therapy

admin — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 11:19:00 -0500

What do you do when the work you love suddenly loses its luster? Ask Claudia Sargent. For more than 20 years, she had a successful career as a freelance commercial artist. Her richly detailed illustrations—reminiscent of those seen in illuminated medieval manuscripts—brightened greeting cards, magazines, and inspirational best sellers.

The Battle for Good Food

mcherkezian — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:52:12 -0500

Gary Hirshberg is pretty busy these days. Aside from giving commencement speeches; promoting Food, Inc., the documentary he’s in; writing a book; and consulting with big companies on their sustainability practices, he runs a $300 million business called Stonyfield Farms.

But he began with just a couple of cows and a lot of determination.

Mr. Electrico

admin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:36:16 -0600

The longer I live the more I see how God often touches our lives through other people. I'll never forget that magical autumn afternoon when He used Mr. Electrico to touch mine. It happened when I was 12, in my hometown of Waukegan, Illinois, on Lake Michigan's shore.

It was the kind of golden September day when farewell summer touched the land while the autumn wind promised winter. It was also the day when the Dill Brothers Combined Traveling Shows came to town.

A Shop of Her Own

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:24:19 -0500

I always wanted to start my own business, but I never did it. I was scared, I guess. I already had a job and a full life. For 26 years I'd been a nurse, working my way up to assistant director of nursing at a hospital. My life was all about taking care of people. Why rock the boat starting all over again?

But my boat was rocked. In February 2002 I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. I had a mastectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiation.

One Smart Cookie

admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:30:37 -0600

People are surprised when they learn I have my own cookie business, with my own name on the packages and a contract with a bakery.

After all, I'm only 16 years old and still in high school. I never set out to go into business. What I really wanted to do was help the homeless.

But as I look back on it now, I see that something much bigger was happening.

I came home from school one afternoon to find my mother reading an announcement in our temple bulletin. A homeless shelter in nearby Bridgeport was asking for food donations.

Culinary Community Center

admin — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:23:00 -0500

It was August 2005. New Orleans natives and grade school pals Aaron Wolfson and Peter Menge were elated. After spending more than a year and more than their savings to renovate a space to hold Creole cooking classes, The Savvy Gourmet finally opened.

Just days later, news of an impending hurricane broke. They evacuated for what they assumed was the usual three-day stint. Only this hurricane, Katrina, devastated New Orleans.

The Art of Compassion

admin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:51:00 -0500

Two little children in Calcutta, India, a teeming city of millions, most of them poor. Urchins, they would have been called in a Dickens novel. The boy maybe eight, the girl 12 or so. They might have been brother and sister. I don't know.

The Village Bistro

admin — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 11:38:00 -0600

You're going to love it here," my new neighbor had said on the day six years earlier when my husband, Brian, and I arrived in Michigan to make a new start. "There's just one thing you're going to miss," she said. "All those little New York restaurants."