“I’m Sorry That I Cried”.
That chocolate bar you gave me—the one you broke into three.I know it seemed so simple,but the pieces weren’t the same to me.One bigger, one smaller, one just not right,and suddenly my chest grew tight.I cried, and I know it…
Dolly Parton: From a Cabin of Twelve to a Queen of Hearts.
“Lord. It was as cold in the room as it was outside.” That’s how Dolly Parton often remembers the cabin where her life began. Born in 1946 in the mountains of rural Tennessee, Dolly came into a world that knew…
The Teen Who Chose to Save a Life Instead of Stay Silent.
On a humid Florida afternoon in 2014, the routine hum of the Fort Lauderdale Police booking area was interrupted by something no one could have anticipated. Behind the locked doors of the jail, a 17-year-old named Jamal Rutledge was being…
The Stranger on the Plane Who Became Family for a Few Hours.
Air travel with young children is never easy, but that day it felt impossible. My 4-month-old, Alexander, was already screaming before we even left the gate. I hadn’t been able to nurse him in time, thanks to a string of…
Sapelo Island: A Living Legacy of the Gullah Geechee People.
Forty miles south of Savannah, seven miles off the Georgia coast, lies a place where time slows and history whispers through the trees. Sapelo Island is small, secluded, and often overlooked. Yet for over four centuries, it has carried within…
Sometimes Love Is a Chicken Cutlet.
A couple of years ago, my husband and I were playing a silly couples trivia game, the kind where you ask each other lighthearted questions that you think you already know the answers to. At one point, he looked at…
A Life of Service: Remembering Deputy Sheriff Courtney Couch.
The badge is more than metal. It represents service, sacrifice, and the promise to protect others, even when the cost is unthinkable. Deputy Sheriff Courtney Couch lived that promise until her very last breath. Courtney, a deputy with the Lane…
Two Scenes in a Parking Lot.
This afternoon, in the middle of something as ordinary as a Target parking lot, I witnessed two very different moments that together painted a whole picture of motherhood. The first was a young mom with three little ones. You could…
The Teacher Who Cut Her Hair for Kindness.
Kindergarten is supposed to be a place of joy—tiny desks, bright posters, crayons scattered across tables, and the sound of laughter echoing down the hallways. For most children, it’s the beginning of learning, of making friends, of building confidence…
From Jail Cells to the Judge’s Bench.
A BIG CONGRATS to Hanif Johnson, who made history as the youngest judge in Pennsylvania! His journey to the bench wasn’t easy. In fact, it was filled with challenges that could have ended very differently. As a teenager, Hanif made…