The two towns appeared close; approximately an inch separated Arusha and Karatu in Tanzania. ‘One inch’ translated into a three-hour drive, one way. Better map-reading would have allowed fear to…

His excitement was palpable. “In March, I will be 11 years old and I’m going to get a chocolate cake.” Israel lives in Peru and shared his chocolate news with me…

The thick envelope exposed the secret. In addition to a donation request, the American Heart Association enclosed return address labels decorated for Valentine’s Day. “Be Mine” and “With Love” written…

My heart smiled as Angel beamed under the large sombrero. For his school’s dance, Angel dressed as a charro, a traditional Mexican horseman. His letter offered happy words and pictures…

The special delivery arrived on September 24th by Fed Ex. The driver muscled the pallet across the gravel driveway and into the garage. With scissors in hand, I sliced open small,…

No fanfare, wax seal, or calligraphy adorned the cream-colored envelope. Inside, a folded 8.5 X 11 piece of paper extended a grand invitation. An invitation to connect with a child.…

Ethan could have missed it. He could have been too naive, too overwhelmed, too selfish, or too young. Instead, Ethan chose to see. In 2017, Ethan and his father visited…

With a furrowed brow and curled lips, his chubby hand extracted the orange bite. A quick taste was all my 16-month old grandson needed to reach a verdict. Rejection. I grabbed…

With a firm handshake, the elderly gentleman introduced himself as “jumpin” Jack. His nickname derived from his new hobby: sky diving. Jumpin Jack still has a zest for life at…

“I wasn’t doing well in several subjects, so my mom and I decided it was best for me to quit school.” ~ Derly I read Derly’s words again, hoping for…