Ham Saved My Life Yesterday

By A Friend on October 06, 2020 / 3,314 views

By A Friend on October 06, 2020 / 3,314 views

Ham saved my life yesterday. He hurt his paw but I'm alive because of his bravery.  I was working on my house where I fell and was critically injured. He ran to me and started howling and crying; he tried to drag me and ripped his foot open. Luckily he got my neighbors attention. I should be dead, but he saved me. Thank you, Ham. You are my best friend. ...

Identity

By A Friend on October 03, 2020 / 2,326 views

I shared my "identity" with a twin...and until about 9 yrs-old my name was "Twinny". And so was hers! My name was frequently HER name, when someone thought I was her (usually followed by, "Oh, wrong one!"). Every once in awhile I was called my name: Someone would look at me and - lo and behold! - would see ME. But I knew how difficult it was for my siblings, friends and teachers...

Seasoned With Love

By Joseph J. Mazzella on October 02, 2020 / 3,271 views

I couldn’t have been more than ten or eleven years old. It was a hot, Summer afternoon and I decided to cool off by taking a swim in the river that ran down the hill from our home. The water was cold and my dog jumped in to splash around with me. After a while I grabbed my towel and headed back up to the house. I knew that dinner would be ready soon. I walked in through the enclosed back porch...

All The Old Black Ladies I Work With Make Me Feel The Most Loved I've Felt In Years

By Bambi on September 30, 2020 / 2,775 views

Hey so I've had a horrible past 10 years. Childhood trauma and depression, addiction, abuse etc it's all a lot. I'm female, 24 and work in London after moving here this time last year from small village life. I now work in the mental health industry and the majority of my coworkers are African or Carribean emigrants. Every day they make my heart swell with love with the way they scold me...

Fingerprints Of God

By Joseph J. Mazzella on September 26, 2020 / 3,967 views

I haven’t been watching the news as much lately. The daily drumbeat of death, disease, and destruction has been starting to wear me down. Anytime I turned on the television it seemed like the whole world was ready to end. Thankfully, God doesn’t just show us all the news that is bad but also gives us daily reminders of His Kindness, Caring, and Love. I got one of these reminders just...

PANCAKE DAY IS HERE

By A Friend on September 21, 2020 / 3,223 views

By A Friend on September 21, 2020 / 3,223 views

This is a post we found on Facebook that warmed my heart so much. It was posted by a father who was so excited about his daughter's first sleepover. "Y'all, Nora is having her first sleepover tonight. Her best friend Faye is coming over and that means one of my biggest dad goals is gonna happen tomorrow morning. Making pancakes for them in the morning. The moment I...

Royal

By Lettie on September 18, 2020 / 2,999 views

One afternoon transformed me! In a moment, every word I'd ever learned about love was translated into flesh and blood and pulsated with life! I'd flown across the country to attend a special ceremony at Fort Benning, Georgia, and for the weekend my son and I spent hours and days together in Columbus, the small town there. Being a vegetarian, I'd prepared a list of cafes and...

I Woke Up This Morning In A Fit Of Slobbering Tears

By A Friend on September 16, 2020 / 2,632 views

It's as if 20 years of living a misdirected life finally came to a head in the wee hours of September 13th, 2020. I'm not sure why *this* morning was the morning that the world chose to reveal this epiphany to me, but here I sit. Gobsmacked. Flummoxed. Piteous. Broken. Life has decided that it has had enough of me living for myself. And, life has made this...

Equal

By Joseph J. Mazzella on September 15, 2020 / 3,664 views

I was 16 years old and on a week long trip to visit a Seminary college in Iowa. On the way our group had stopped in Chicago for a few days. We were staying in a building owned by the church on the south side of the city and had been warned not to go out alone. It wasn’t long, though, before I was feeling cooped up and decided to sneak out for a short walk. I was going down a street when I saw other...

10 Bad Mental Habits That You Should Let Go

By A Friend on September 10, 2020 / 3,725 views

1. Thinking the world owes you a cosmic reward, especially as a result of your actions. 2. Blaming other people for your lack of achievement. 3. Wallowing too much in the future that you can't focus on the present. 4. The need to compare yourself to others to measure your success. 5. The habit of telling self-deprecating words to yourself. 6. Putting...

I'm A Gambling Man

By A Friend on September 09, 2020 / 3,789 views

By A Friend on September 09, 2020 / 3,789 views

Group of young kids caught me on my way into the store. Asked me if I wanted to make a bet. I replied "I'm a gambling man" Older kid said he could ride a wheelie on his bike stop sign to stop sign. I said no way.. and how much? He said $10. I said why $10? He said they wanted a large pizza at Dominos... I said deal. He came very close but couldn't hold his...

The Generosity Of Neighbors

By Carleen on September 07, 2020 / 3,060 views

I recently posted a message (on Next Door) asking if anyone had furniture they could donate to my son’s class at Piney Woods Boarding School to create a homey environment for his students. The outpouring of generosity was incredible. He has enough pieces of furniture to create a wonderful space in his classroom as well as another teacher’s classroom. He is excited for his students to see...

A Pint Of Blood

By Joseph J. Mazzella on September 05, 2020 / 3,045 views

I was sitting at a table eating a chicken salad sandwich. I wasn’t really hungry but I was supposed to sit a bit and eat something to replenish my strength before heading home. I had left early to be first in line at a blood drive being held 15 miles away from my home. I knew that the changes due to Covid-19 would make the donation process even longer than it was before and I was right. I stood at the...

Homeless Man Helping His Friend

By A Friend on September 04, 2020 / 3,969 views

Today I brought some hot dogs to this group of homeless guys that sit in the shade next to a gas station down the street from where I live. I only had 5 buns so I could only bring 5 hot dogs and some sodas. When I got there and told them I had some hot dogs for them i just saw a couple of their faces light up and that made me so happy. But what this post is all about is after I...

Riches

By Lettie on August 27, 2020 / 4,199 views

The summer before my 10th birthday my father and mother moved our family of nine children to a farm! We had always lived in a small city, in the house my dad bought from my grandparents. But he wanted fresh air, healthy food and lots of room for his children to play. He'd worked multiple jobs at a time and saved for many years...and could finally afford a place in the countryside. Now a minor concern: the...

Looking Ahead

By Joseph J. Mazzella on August 26, 2020 / 3,756 views

When I was a young boy our whole family lived in my Nana’s old house right beside a set of railroad tracks. I can remember the whole house would shake when the trains rolled by. These trains hauling coal cars were few and far between, however, so I often spent my Summer afternoons walking down the tracks. I can remember the first time I tried to balance myself and walk on a single rail. The steel rails...

Two Bills

By Joseph J. Mazzella on August 19, 2020 / 4,742 views

It was a few years ago. A friend had sent me a restaurant gift card for Christmas and I had picked a pretty, sunny Sunday afternoon to use it. It felt good taking my two grown sons and daughter to a nice sit-down restaurant instead of the fast food places we usually ate at. The meal was delicious and we all had a good time just being together. When the waitress brought the check I looked down at it. The gift...