Relationships & Spirituality
Stories about relationships, emotional and spiritual well-being
Family History Uncovers Holocaust Ties-Part 2
by Mark Lehman We Have a Tree in Israel – the Journey of Miriam and Davida ‘The fruits of the olive tree only gives its oil when pressed, and the Children of Israel are only brought back to the right path by travails.’ Talmud Offerings 23 In the waning days of World...
Family History Uncovers Holocaust Ties
by Mark Lehman Writers note: In November the world remembers the anniversary of Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass. By many historians this was considered the first public demonstration of Adolph Hitler’s plan to annihilate the Jewish population in Europe....
From Parenthood to Grandparenthood: When A New Leaf Blossoms On Your Family Tree
By Edie Weinstein As I am writing this piece, I just returned home from a baby Tylenol run for my now 7-month-old grandson Dean. He is just beginning to cut teeth and he is quite vocal about letting my son and daughter-in-law know that he is not pleased with the new...
What Is Your Legacy?
By Edie Weinstein My friend Lisa Gidholm issued this invitation yesterday and it was one I couldn’t decline since death has been on my mind a great deal lately. “I am looking for a Volunteer....
Altruism and The Common Good
By Edie Weinstein You’re standing in a supermarket checkout line with a basket full of groceries and you notice the person behind you attempting to juggle five or six items while calming a crying toddler who is way past nap time....
Cognitive Dissonance in Chaotic Times
by Edie Weinstein World events are unfolding at a breakneck pace, rendering even the most psychologically stable people on the verge of emotional dysfunction. Each day upon awakening, the news feed is filled with stories of death and destruction. While it’s true that...
Did Someone Say New Normal?
by Edie Weinstein Among the terminology added to the vernacular in the past few months in the face of COVID-19, along with ‘flattening the curve,’ ‘social distancing,’ and ‘essential businesses,’ is ‘new normal’. The first time I heard that phrase was when I was in...
God Has Got This
by Misty Raley Gassaway When I was 11, I got bullied for my pale skin, gross glasses, big forehead, sensitivity & excessive smiling. Random, but a very specific list. #mistymusings It was a rough environment and the haters didn’t mess around. School had a pretty...
What They Call Me, What I Answer To
By Mame Kwayie In retrospect, we’d probably crossed a professional boundary. But I wanted the insight, so I kept our conversation going. I was in my early twenties, working as a communications director in San Antonio, and chatting with a presenter before one of my...
Our Blessing, Our Grace
By Stephanie Schoonover A few months after we married, Andy and I learned our prayers for our family had been answered. I was pregnant and we were ecstatic. Aside from afternoon fatigue my pregnancy seemed to be going smoothly until our 12 -week anatomy scan. We...
Grateful for God’s Blessings
Letter Written During the Flu Pandemic in 1918 – Part 2 “Grateful for God’s Blessings” By Mark Lehman Several weeks ago, the Shoebox Chronicles (http://shoeboxchronicle.wordpress.com) published a 1919 letter written by my great Aunt Milly to her twin sister Martha...
My Butterfly Summer
By Nancy Amos I don’t think I ever really sat still—in the last 67 years. There were so many adventures if I would just get up and do them. And I so loved my job, my work—as I called it—that I would put in the long days and carry work at home for nighttime. I believed...
Fledgling Wrens in the Age of Corona
By Nancy Amos Wrens are tiny birds that I had taken for granted. They are a bit non-descript with their brown colors, but they have a distinct white stripe along each side of their heads that permitted this novice birder to be able to recognize them across the...
There And Back Again
By Alexandra Green Two years ago I wrote an article for Iron Butterfly Project detailing the bullying I faced in middle school and into high school. I wrote about my bike being smashed past the point of use, my older sister standing up for me, and the profound...
Perfect Love
By Lucia Hur The story you are about to read is true. I should know. I am not only the author, but I am also the mother who has had to endure what no parent should ever have to endure: the report of your child being involved in a horrific car accident, which...
Sisters by Choice: Bag Ladies
If we’re lucky, life introduces us to people who light us up inside when we see them, and who love us, just as we are. Luckier still are those who get the rare opportunity to spend unadulterated time with such friends in beautiful places. On the face of it, this...
Shoebox Chronicles 5: A New Spin on an Old Holiday Tradition
By Mark Lehman For generations, a holiday tradition in my family was to string a wire across the fireplace mantel to display much-anticipated Christmas cards. The cards would fill the mailbox in the days leading up to Christmas as loved one’s touched base with...
Strong Woman Hiding
By Terri Ray Going from being a strong woman hiding behind fears to being empowered by grace in strength is like moving from invisible to being transparent. Your fears keep you hidden, but recognition of yourself makes you visible to the world. The subject of this...