by Amanda E. West | Jul 10, 2025 | Stories
FIVE DAYS after her 17th birthday, on June 14, 1942, Muriel Moyers nervously squeezed Leonard Coble’s hand. “How old do I have to be to get married?” Leonard asked the justice of the peace in Huntsville. When he responded “21,” 17-year-old Leonard, who most knew as...
by Amanda E. West | Jul 10, 2025 | Cover
Medina Stackpole fluffed her pillow, then jammed it between her aching back and the headboard. She patted the empty spot on the mattress and whispered, “We miss you, Rick.” The words of her eldest son, Ricky, echoed in her mind: “When I grow up, I’m going to serve my...
by Amanda E. West | Jul 10, 2025 | Feature
“Cooking With a Veteran” began with hunger — an ache that Dave Rogers knew too well. Before he enlisted in the U.S. Army and for a short time after his honorable discharge, Rogers faced homelessness. This permanent mark, left by Rogers’ temporary situation, stirred...
by Amanda E. West | Jul 10, 2025 | Feature
“Mrs. Heather, please don’t cry Because toys you didn’t have to buy Sometimes the shelves get kind of bare But because of love for Mandy and children, people did share Stuffed animals, blankets, cars, and Play-Doh With such good choices, children’s eyes will surely...
by Amanda E. West | Jun 12, 2025 | Cover
THE SPLASHING of the waterfall is a welcoming melody to Dorris Turrentine as she savors the sweet, earthy perfume of iris blooms carried by the evening breeze. Tricolored orange, white, and black goldfish circle the edges of the pond. Their graceful acrobatics turn...
