Three teenage girls, wearing matching plaid skirts and white shirts – the uniform of a nearby school – were standing in the candle section at Target. Carefully, they were taking the lids off glass candle jars to smell the seasonal scents. The candles that were...
Those lucky enough to be shopping near the frozen food section at Costco last Saturday stumbled upon the greatest sample station of all time – snack size chocolates. Individually wrapped bars were arranged on a tray for those passing by to try. The line of people...
"Become who you are. Become all that you are. There is still more of you – more to be discovered, forgiven, and loved." – Carl Jung The Halloween costume website was open on my phone. Emma was sitting next to me and we were making our...
Last week, while in a bustling hotel lobby, a little girl grabbed hold of my hand. She was focused on trying not to step on the lines between the large, glossy tiles on the floor and slipped her hand into mine without looking up. Assuming, I...
The clear plastic container was the kind you’d get at a deli. It might have originally been filled with chicken noodle soup or pasta salad. Whatever it was first used for has been lost in my memory. Now the container is filled with seeds Emma and...
The vanilla cake was four layers of rainbow colors in a tie-dye pattern. The girls and I began the baking project early on a Saturday morning, carefully following a complex recipe. The vanilla cake batter was spooned into separate bowls. Food coloring was added to create the eight...
Have you heard about the ancient fish called Qikiqtania wakei? According to scientists, millions of years ago the 30-inch eel-like Qikiqtania wakei developed physical characteristics necessary to survive out of water. Biologists found fossils showing that the fish had adapted from life in the water to life on...
It was the longest queue in history. Hundreds of thousands of people came to pay their last respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, whose coffin was lying in state in Westminster Hall. The queue snaked for miles and miles through London. People joined the line...
Ella ran toward the grass and reached down to pluck a dandelion from the ground. She went this way and that, gathering a little bouquet of bright yellow flowers and white dandelion puffs, carrying the bouquet carefully to keep the fragile puffs from falling off. “I...
Kaiden Shelton watched, stunned, as Isaiah Jarvis dropped to the ground. It was the first inning of the Southwest Region Playoff final in the Little League World Series. As 12-year-old Jarvis stood at the plate, a stray pitch slammed into his head, knocking his helmet off....