Seasoning Your Life

By Joseph J. Mazzella on May 07, 2024 / 3,371 views

By Joseph J. Mazzella on May 07, 2024 / 3,371 views

I posted something about our Italian style Sunday dinners on Facebook recently and got several requests for my Nana’s recipe for her spaghetti sauce. I gladly sent it out to them, but kind of felt bad about it. It wasn’t that I didn’t think my Nana would mind. She loved sharing her sauce with everyone. It was just that I didn’t think people would get it right. You see, I...

An Angel In Disguise

By A Friend on May 06, 2024 / 3,218 views

I was a teacher for 30 years. It was nearing the end of summer, and my car needed repair. $645. I told the garage that I could only do some of the repairs. I called and asked my daughter to come and drive me to the bank to transfer the funds. I went back to the mechanic's desk, asking the exact amount of the repairs they were doing. The guy at the desk told me the full...

I Don't Think I'll Ever Forget That Woman As Long As I Live

By A Friend on May 03, 2024 / 3,492 views

By A Friend on May 03, 2024 / 3,492 views

I was having a pretty lousy day in New York City when I was visiting some friends. It was gloomy and cold, but also I was sad about something unrelated. I decided to go down to my favorite coffee shop in the lower Eastside. One of their specialties is the Olive oil cake loaf. I had never had one from them, so I decided that that would be the day I would. But when I got there, I ordered my latte and the loaf...

One Of The Rules Of Life I Live By, Taught To Me By A Generous Man In The Middle Of Nowhere

By A Friend on May 02, 2024 / 4,108 views

By A Friend on May 02, 2024 / 4,108 views

So, there was this one time in the 1990s. I was helping my brother move from a teaching job after college. This was in the middle of nowhere in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He was driving his little pickup truck pulling a trailer and I was driving my crappy little Ford station wagon, packed to the gills with his stuff. It was a Sunday. I'm driving along and my car just dies. No warning,...

An Oak Tree In A Graveyard

By Joseph J. Mazzella on May 01, 2024 / 3,435 views

By Joseph J. Mazzella on May 01, 2024 / 3,435 views

It was many years ago. I was still a young man with nothing better to do than drive around with his friends on a Saturday exploring old back roads here in the mountains of my home. We found an old, winding gravel one that curved up the side of a mountain. When we reached the top, however, there was nothing there but an old, abandoned graveyard. We got out to look at it. The last person buried there...

Years Ago I Was On A Summer Road Trip With Some Friends From Dallas To Austin

By A Friend on April 29, 2024 / 3,648 views

By A Friend on April 29, 2024 / 3,648 views

Years ago I was on a summer road trip with some friends from Dallas to Austin. On the way down, the battery meter on my dashboard started acting funny. Jumping up then dropping down, all sorts of weird stuff. We make it down to Austin and we're supposed to go see my one friend's show, but I say I'm going to run to an Autozone and see about buying a new battery (it was 6 or 7 pm and I...

Painted Rocks

By A Friend on April 29, 2024 / 2,252 views

By A Friend on April 29, 2024 / 2,252 views

The most beautiful young girl in our community paints rocks and hides them around our lake for walkers to discover. She is a true...

I Witnessed The Most Wonderful Connected Parenting At My Local Target Recently

By A Friend on April 25, 2024 / 3,076 views

I witnessed the most wonderful connected parenting at my local Target recently. A mum with 3 young children, the eldest appeared to be in prep and the youngest in a pram, were at the checkout after school. The middle child appeared to be purchasing a toy with their pocket money and the eldest had just realised they were not leaving with something just as magical. Cue a disappointed...

Stumbling Towards The Light

By Joseph J. Mazzella on April 24, 2024 / 3,394 views

If there is one thing I have learned over the years it is that God refines and purifies our spirits not only through great challenges but also through everyday encounters and simple moments. I got another reminder of this just the other day at the grocery store. It was a windy, chilly, and rainy day and all I wanted to do was grab my stuff and go home. As I hurried towards the store entrance I saw a...

The Power Of Small Acts Of Kindness

By A Friend on April 23, 2024 / 3,644 views

Let's take a moment to talk about something truly amazing: the power of small acts of kindness. In a world that often feels chaotic and divided, these simple gestures have the power to create ripple effects of positivity that can change lives and even the world. Whether it's holding the door for a stranger, offering a smile to someone in need, or simply listening to a friend who's going...

Balloon Animals

By A Friend on April 22, 2024 / 2,402 views

By A Friend on April 22, 2024 / 2,402 views

This happened several years ago, but I still remember it pretty well. When I was about 5 or 6, my older brother took me to the circus. Like every other child there, I was super excited to get my little balloon animal. However, due to being a rather careless child, It accidentally popped. This was devastating to me at the time. I remember sitting my seat, crying quietly and being so sad...

The Actions Of Love

By Joseph J. Mazzella on April 22, 2024 / 3,082 views

It was over 50 years ago but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was a young boy on Spring break from school but couldn’t go out to play because of heavy thunderstorms. The TV was off too with the clip that attached it to the outside antenna dropped in a glass jar to ground it from possible lightening strikes. This left me sitting by the wood stove rereading my favorite book for the tenth...

What A Wonderful Human Being!

By Julia on April 19, 2024 / 2,008 views

By Julia on April 19, 2024 / 2,008 views

I was filling my car up at the gas station tonight and went to pay. There was a lady in front of me that said, "it’s ok I got this." I was totally shocked and couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The lady said she tries to do a random act of kindness to someone every day and that it made her feel good, as she once had someone do the same for her. I hugged...

A Penny In The Mud

By Joseph J. Mazzella on April 18, 2024 / 3,366 views

By Joseph J. Mazzella on April 18, 2024 / 3,366 views

It had been a long week. I’d had people working over 3 days to repair floors and replace a leaking bathtub in my bathroom. Water damage over a long period of time had caused the floors to soften and rot. It turned out to be a much bigger job than I had hoped with extra materials and a specially ordered tub needed. It was finally done but it had eaten up almost all of the money I had spent months and...

Being Kind To People Can Have A Huge Impact On Them

By A Friend on April 17, 2024 / 2,889 views

By A Friend on April 17, 2024 / 2,889 views

When I was 19 and in the Marines, broke as h*ll relying on a bike to get around - I stopped at a yacht dealership one Saturday morning. I always loved boats and the sea. I asked the guy inside if I could look at boats. I was hoping he would allow me to walk the docks just to see them up close. I don't know if he was just bored or what but he took me on a tour of every boat they had...

Stranger Helped My Family And I Will Never Forget Him

By A Friend on April 15, 2024 / 3,320 views

When I was a kid my dad took my brother and I shopping for school clothes. It was during the 2007-2008 financial crisis and he had been laid off work and was struggling to find a job. My mom managed a fast food restaurant so we had some income, but not enough. Even though I was young I realized that we weren't the best off when it came to money. Our house was being foreclosed so my parents were already...

I Was Driving Down A Busy Road Yesterday

By A Friend on April 13, 2024 / 3,165 views

By A Friend on April 13, 2024 / 3,165 views

I was driving down a busy road yesterday. Traffic was bumper to bumper and I was in a bad mood. Pull up at the lights on a busy intersection and there’s a man with a really tall unicycle doing tricks at the lights. This on its own isn’t unusual. I’ve seen street performers at these lights before. But in the lane next to me was a truck with three men, who began hollering...