Life goes on

What is life? Is it loving, smiling and all those other positive things we take for granted. I am a police corporal of the Trinidad and Tobago police service. was attached to the special branch. I joined the service in 1989. I am now 41 yrs old. On 24/5/09 my life was turned upside down. I was on d… Read more

Life's a risk, so I took one

I was one of the many Americans who was laid off in Sept/09. No jobs, unemployment was months behind, afraid/fear took over as I kept asking "what am I suppose to do"?

So I somehow talked my husband into becoming Foster Parents. I thought lets give back, so we took the 9 month course, but we're not i… Read more

Finding Love the Hard Way

Just an Innocent Kid

I was a pretty good kid, with the exception of the perpetual war waged against my older brother. They say that even that is normal for boys, I grew up on an upstate dairy farm, which operated 24/7/52, and there was not much time to get in trouble…or to have fun. That shaped my ea… Read more

Laughter is the Best Medicine

It's been argued before that laughter is the best medicine. What about the other characteristics that define something as being better than all the rest? Can you simply argue based upon positive health effects alone? Probably, but that wouldn't give me the opportunity to share my perspective on why … Read more

Love Affair with Wine

My love affair with wine began in Belfast, Northern Ireland when my new employer held a welcome dinner. I had just arrived a week earlier and hadn't even found a place to rent. I was living out of a dorm room at Queens University.

Little did I know that I would discover my passion for wine. Seriously… Read more

The Little Things in Life

I was lying in a Johannesburg hospital bed with my brother leaning overhead to clear the obstruction from my nose. The gastric tube in my nose made it difficult to breathe and breathing with my mouth open only made matters worse, creating a sore throat as the tube shifted from side to side. It was 4… Read more

Sailing lessons in life

Sailing teaches many lessons in life. If life is like a box of chocolates, sailing is a learned skill that helps you navigate these chocolate covered wonders. I have to admit, I don't like the movie, but I have a yearning for some Tawny Port and dark chocolate as I write.

In sailing you must always b… Read more

My Miraculous Family

I never considered myself unique, but people are constantly telling me, "I am a miracle." To me, I was just an "ordinary" guy with realistic goals and big dreams. I was a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas and well on my way toward fulfilling my dream of one day becoming an orthopedic su… Read more

Infant expected to die turns into author and CEO

Back in 1977 when I was first born, life for my parents was quite grim. I was very sick. I was rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children within hours of birth, where it was determined I had a brain aneurysm. Emergency surgery was performed to relieve the pressure on my brain. The doctors originally t… Read more

Adversity to Success

When breast cancer threw me into menopause the treatments side effects that bothered me the most was night sweats.I was familiar with wicking clothing from the gym, the tennis courts, the slopes and the trails. I could not find the same performance clothing found for outdoor clothing for sleepwear. … Read more

I Found only after I Lost

I did indeed find more to life when I lost big in life, but this story is not about loss. I am about to share with you what made the difference and how my life changed when I changed the story of my life.

As with so many others, I grew up in a rough environment - violent, alcoholic father in a world … Read more

Stop making excuses and make change

It is a day I recall clearly, which is odd, considering I was only five years old. The sun was shining and country music playing on the garage radio as I went through a familiar routine of car washing with my adoptive father. My job was to clean the inside of the car windows and as I watched my adop… Read more

Bringing Comfort

This story was first published in It Happened By Design By Kathie M. Thomas

When I woke up, and reluctantly pulled myself out of bed, on a rainy Saturday, in late October, I had no idea the Lord would use me as an instrument to bring comfort. I also had no idea I could help answer the prayer of a yo… Read more

Cancer patient uses humor to fight

My mother, who ultimately succumbed to breast cancer, refused to let it diminish her spirits. You'll see what I mean in this exchange, following her mastectomy.

Jonas, a male Ethiopian nurse is attending Elva, scurrying around, making her comfortable, anticipating her every need. "Are you nauseous?" … Read more

Smiling Eyes, A Cheerleading Coach's Personal Victory

Smiling Eyes, A Cheerleading Coach’s Personal Victory Following a bizarre tragedy that defies logic, and a second chance at life, this woman who was barely noticed in a family of nine, chooses to prove her worth emotionally, mentally and physically through her accomplishments in coaching cheerleader… Read more

There's opportunity everywhere

When I was in high school I worked down at the local marina as a launch attendant. My boss was an avid fisherman who also ran his own chartering business. While I did have some experience fishing it was mainly from summer trips to Maine. Consequently, the only fish I had ever caught at the time were… Read more

Sail through adversity

I was lying face down in the water unable to lift my head. I had just dived in to the surf and without warning I struck my head against the ground beneath me. The sudden shock and horror expelled what air I had in my lungs moments prior. It wasn’t long before I gasped for air only to find water fill… Read more

How I Built a Life in Retirement

On May 29, 1993, the day before my sixty-fifth birthday, I returned from my retirement party at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to face the question: What did I want to do with the rest of her life?

When the euphoria wore off, I became dejected. I realized that everything I'd wor… Read more

Take on life by keeping our oceans clean

The oceans cover more than 70% of our world. They are integral to the health of our planet and everything that lives here. But our oceans are dying, and we are to blame.

After making this realization, and having a real passion and desire for entrepreneurship, I have created a company that I believe h… Read more

When life throws you a lemon

I faced my greatest challenge back in October of 2001. I was taking on life, traveling around the world, meeting new friends and exploring cultures while on Semester at Sea, a college program, when I had a swimming accident on the beaches of the Seychelles that left me a quadriplegic. Life just hand… Read more