Relationships & Family

Jennie—She Taught Me to Love Spring

mcherkezian — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:44:03 -0600

Jennie and I met in night school. She had lost her husband, and her daughter was no longer home. My only child, a son, was in college, and my husband had encouraged me to finish work on my degree.

After Jennie and I had completed the required courses, we started teaching in the same school. Frequently we had lunch together.

A Special Tribute

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:21:05 -0500

Jeff was one of the most popular kids in my high school class. He was a soccer and baseball star, a talented artist, an honors student, and "best-dressed senior." But the list of honors under Jeff's yearbook picture didn't convey his real achievement.

At the beginning of senior year, Jeff was diagnosed with cancer. Even as the disease rapidly advanced, he continued to come to school and do all his work.

Fishing for an Explanation

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:21:05 -0500

Each year my church choir began its season with an intensive choral workshop.

"Try to imagine angels right behind you when you're performing," the conductor explained. "Invite them to raise their voices along with yours."

Halie's Rainbow

jbloustein — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:44:50 -0600

Brazil, Indiana is a close-knit community, and so is the local high school’s marching band, the Northview Marching Knights, eight-time state champions.

Every Thursday, after practice, the staff gathers for dinner at the home of Bob and Ruth Anne Medworth, director of the band and color guard, respectively.

The Medworths live only a mile from the high school, so everyone shows up minutes after practice lets out.

Christmas Mourning

jbloustein — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:23:19 -0600

Holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and family gatherings. Which is exactly why they’re so devastating for people who are mourning the loss of a loved one.

In the Line of Duty

jbloustein — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:58:02 -0500

Florida was a long way from New York City, where I’d lived most of my life.

This was a big change. Getting out of my car I had to remind myself that despite the heat and the palm trees, Christmas was almost here.

With the stress of moving it was easy to forget. How could I feel that old reliable Christmas spirit when everything around me was 100 percent new?

Being Healed

admin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:03:07 -0600

My first reaction when my friend Lisa called to tell me she'd been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer was denial. I hung up the phone and said to my husband, Allan, "I must have heard her wrong. It couldn't possibly be true."

I'd met Lisa eight years before at a luncheon. We started to chat about our favorite books, then discovered we both loved working to help children and the elderly.

"I Know What You're Going Through"

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:21:38 -0600

Even after I moved my wife, Tammy, and our toddler son, Tiger, into a run-down farmhouse in Richfield, I think people thought the old place was still empty. That suited me just fine.

We didn't even have a phone. We really couldn't afford one, and besides, we didn't expect to be chit-chatting. We wanted to be left alone so we could get on with our lives.

The Cross at Ground Zero

admin — Sun, 01 Sep 2002 11:27:00 -0500

I'm an excavation laborer, and a member of Union Local 731. Pick-and-shovel work is my trade. I live in New Jersey, but I'm a New York City native, Brooklyn born and bred. After the Towers collapsed, my city was hurting. When I heard they needed guys like me for search-and-rescue work at Ground Zero, I couldn't get there fast enough.

My Father's Flag

admin — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 08:54:00 -0500

Maybe you've noticed: Flag Day usually comes up on the calendar right around Father's Day. My dad would like that.

When I was a 9-year-old girl in Medfield, Massachusetts, the highlight of the year was marching with my Brownie troop in the town's Memorial Day parade.

Even today, I vividly remember marching behind the high school band and the DAR ladies in their vintage bustles and gaily feathered hats. We smiled and cheered and waved tiny American flags distributed by the Kiwanis Club men.