By M. Jane Hocking, New Mexico
When we were younger and living in Alaska, my husband and I had sled dogs. He did some racing, but I never really enjoyed running a team. With beautiful scenery and my dog buddies, mushing should have brought joy, not a heavy lump of dread in my gut. But I loved raising puppies, training lead dogs, and finding and clearing old trails, so I concentrated on those tasks related to sledding.
By Karen Nevis, Ecuador
I never imagined how my life in Ecuador would be when I left the United States five years ago with only four suitcases. Now I live in a remote, small pueblo in the Andes Mountains at five thousand feet altitude.
By Jonker Tomasoa, The Netherlands
Years ago, my wife and I paid a visit to a dear friend and her family in Kenya. It was our first time in that country. When my friend married four years earlier, I was her best man. Although we are not related, she called me Abang, which means brother in the Malay language.
by Sharon Kunin, Minnesota
Maybe a little like meeting God, through feather, fur, or fluttery thing. To be judged not for words, but by the timbre of my voice. Not for ability, but by gentleness of my touch. And not for knowledge, but by the Light that shines from my eyes. To be loved for the nature of my heart.
By Dana Lovell, Minnesota
One morning, my friend Karina and I did a spiritual exercise that contains the question, What do you know as truth? (See the Contemplation Seed at the end of this story.)