The Stackpole Family: Born to serve

The Stackpole Family: Born to serve

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...
The Turrentine Family: Blossoms and blessings

The Turrentine Family: Blossoms and blessings

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...
Polly Woodard: Nourishing hunger and lives

Polly Woodard: Nourishing hunger and lives

POLLY WOODARD drank in the scent of sliced oranges. She scooped them into her gloved hand and filled the row of lunch trays. She smiled in quiet anticipation. Soon, the first group of hungry students would begin lining up, and the opportunity for her to be a bright...
Linda Nichols: A Journey of Hope & Healing

Linda Nichols: A Journey of Hope & Healing

“I NEED YOU to pray that I have a brain tumor!” Linda Nichols clasped hands with her friends as they bowed their heads inside her home. After everyone left that evening, her husband, Howie, asked, “Why would you ask them to pray for such a thing?”  In 2012, while...