My grandmother (Betty Jones) believed that every family—especially hers—should gather around the dinner table together, often. So, she put up homegrown vegetables all summer for our weekly family dinners. If she hadn’t, well, we might have had to settle for mere store-bought produce. She made homemade mayonnaise because the kind in the jar just wouldn’t do. [...]
Ferlando ran across the red-dirt floor of the orphanage, reaching upward with his thin arms. He sobbed as he grabbed Rachel’s legs and refused to let go. His dark, tear-filled eyes almost seemed to plead, Please don’t leave me here! And in that moment, something remarkable happened. “The door of my heart sprang open to [...]
We escaped—practically fled from our house—and drove off into the sunset together. Our Valentine’s date night was long overdue. After my husband and I were seated at our favorite restaurant, I almost teared up--the culture shock was just a little too much--as I gingerly ran my fingers across my fancy linen napkin. Red roses and flickering [...]