In early May of 2021, I was finishing up an errand at the end of my day. Walking down the sidewalk on my usual route, I noticed a little baby squirrel right in the middle of the sidewalk. It was as if he knew I would be there…and he desperately needed to get my attention. … Read more
1. Everybody will never like you, or get you, or want you. That’s okay. We really do have to make our peace with it. 2. Keeping a pure heart is hard, but necessary. Staying soft is a gift, and choosing to love when it would be easier to hate is always the way to go. … Read more
My parents were refugees from Vietnam. And shortly after I was born, my mother got hired as a housekeeper. She couldn’t bear to leave me with a babysitter. So after only three days, she tried to quit. That’s when her employers insisted that she bring me to work instead. Their names were Charles and Kathleen … Read more
“Before she passed, she told my dad that she wanted him to fall in love again. ‘I’m going to find you the perfect woman,’ she said. ‘She’s going to love my daughters. And most importantly she’ll be a snow bunny.’ That was always the joke between them. Dad was a cross country skier so he … Read more
“Halfway home I asked to stop for a drink. Then afterward I hopped in the backseat to read a book to my brother. And that’s what saved me. Because the wreck happened a few miles down the road. The entire front of our car was crushed. My first thought was my hands. I had a … Read more
“‘Hey my bro, I’m just wondering if I could have some money, my bro. I just want the money for some food and clothes, my bro. Thank you, my bro.’ This was the message I received through Facebook messenger 2 years ago. I decided to reply to the sender, ‘Sorry, Brian, I can’t send you … Read more
“I was 16 years old when my family moved to Guatemala. Up until that point, I had basically been living the American dream, but that move caused a radical 180 in me when I began to really see the world from a new perspective. My life looked a lot different than most American teenagers. I … Read more
“I’ve never seen the man read a book in his entire life. One time I saw his high school report card—and the only class he got an ‘A’ in was gym. His parents never had any money. So right after school he got a job stocking produce at a local food market. The owners realized … Read more
Tonight I walked in the tanning salon and the employee seemed very annoyed and not very welcoming. At first I thought to myself “well she’s not in a good mood, she needs to put her happy face on at work” Then I looked down… I see a baby.. a sick baby sitting in his car … Read more
I was supposed to go to the neighborhood gym I had just joined, to get my free one hour session with a personal trainer. Instead, I wound up running for my life. It was the morning of November 8, 2018, the day my beloved town of Paradise burned to the ground. Throughout my 67 years, … Read more
You’ve seen the pictures, now here’s the story! My best friend of over 10 years, Kailee, saw these awesome ugly sweaters while shopping at WalMart. She FaceTimed me out of nowhere to tell me that we needed them, and being the person that I am, agreed instantly. We originally discussed having a mutual friend of … Read more
I’ve blacked a lot of it out. But I do remember that recess was a nightmare for me. My mom told me later that she would sometimes hide in the bushes, and when she saw me sitting by myself, she’d start crying. The diagnosis was ‘selective mutism.’ I’d get so anxious around people that I … Read more