What to Say to a Friend Struggling with Adult Stepchildren

What to Say to a Friend Struggling with Adult Stepchildren

  When I married my widower husband several years ago, I married a broken family of survivors: three adults who lost their loved one to cancer. My husband felt ready to move on, but his daughters struggled. They feared sharing their father and welcoming a new...
Spilled Elixirs

Spilled Elixirs

  Autumn’s Story:    Two-year-old me tottered over to the fridge and pulled out the lemonade—a plastic container with a swiveling lid to keep children like me from spilling. I wrapped my little arms around the jug and set out on my quest. Crossing the...
What to Say to a Friend Struggling with Anxiety and Depression

What to Say to a Friend Struggling with Anxiety and Depression

  When a mysterious health symptom combined with other stress factors, I spiraled into a time of anxiety and depression. Though functional at a basic level, I felt crippled by distraction, sadness and poor sleep. I lost my appetite and could not find quick...
The Hero of My Story

The Hero of My Story

  Kate’s Story:  Once upon a time my larynx felt glued to the ground like a Manolo Blahnik stiletto stuck to pavement. You know how chewing gum sticks to your shoe and won’t come off? A stuck larynx means singers can’t sing. My good Father...
Unfailing Power

Unfailing Power

Rebecca’s Story:  I know exactly what I would have thought if I lived in Montana: “We get snow all the time with frigid temperatures. Those people down South will be just fine.” When the news forecasted snow, I thought the same way. The snow would fall—maybe...