My wife died of ALS; during her final 13 months, my mom and dad also died.  It was almost overwhelming, and I learned more grieving than I ever thought I would.  My most effective way …

In high school, I worked as a kitchen aide in a nearby rest home.  The home was a beautiful Victorian, formerly owned by a prominent business man.  Throughout renovations to accommodate the elderly, the façade …

It doesn’t matter
What age you are.
When a loved one dies
It’s very, very hard.
I was sweet sixteen
When my brother died.
I shut down
Never once, did I cry.
Over the years
I’ve learned to accept.
As a man, a soldier
He fought …

Oh, by gosh, by golly, whaddayaknow, it’s Happy Holiday time, again! And that red-suited man standing on your street corner’s extolling, “Ho! Ho! Ho!” making, you, dear widow, want to scream, “No! No! No!” instead, …

Why, do you show your face?
Is it because it is cold outside
Or, because the leaves have fallen
Because, the snow is blanketing
The ground with white crystals?
Why?
You visit often, just recently
Taking a life, my father
Then, you took …

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late . . . the love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to …

Late last night, I received an email with tragic news about the loss of another friend to suicide.
The news came with a copy of his suicide note, a well-written 9 page letter which I am …

“Whorl! Whorl! Whorl!” shrieked the house alarm, startling Laura from an already restless slumber. She sat straight up with her eyes wide, and looked around the dark room anxiously. Wishing for the umpteenth time that …

I Salute You
A little boy
Taken by the hand,
His father said
You will be a soldier,
A man.
Sent away
To a distant land,
He fought with courage
To prove to his father
He can.
He flew with the best,
Killed with
Tears in his eyes,
Until …

I was talking with a man recently who’d been caring for his dying father. “I left him to take care of some personal business,” he said. “I knew I shouldn’t have gone because something inside …

I gathered the courage to call the man who sat in the car with my brother while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.  The man was a fireman, and he was off duty, painting …

I once heard a teaching story about two grizzled hunters who met in a bar in the Yukon. After a few drinks, they started to argue about the existence of God. One man insisted that …

DKT writes in: I met a man on Match.com. We are in our 50’s. He divorced his first wife after 20 years of marriage. He was married to his second wife for about 5 years before …

“Kiss the casket,” my mom instructed, “that way you won’t have ‘susto’.”[1] I was sixteen years old looking at my Grandpa’s body as he lay in his casket. I stared at his chest, and I swear, …

We put all kinds of things inside of closets. There are things you expect to find inside this storage space: sweaters, dresses, and shoes. Then there are the other things that you can’t find a …

When we hear the term “moon walk,” our minds immediately think of entertainer Michael Jackson and his famous dance that has become a classic. But there is a literal “moon walk,” and a few days ago, …