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Essays Section
Mr. Majestic
Two events, twenty-three years apart, merge into a single moment in time, as Kellie M. Shanley recalls a fiery little red horse she rode once in the show ring, and a story she was told many years later.
The Compass
A father and a young son staring up into the clear night sky find Polaris, and share a lesson about always finding your way back home, in this moving essay by Mark Johnson.
A Good Life
Two friends catch up after one has been too busy for lunch, and the hilarious tale that’s expected suddenly turns serious, as Carolynn Marie reflects that it’s never too late to have a good life.
Perennials/Introspection
The flowers that come back each year—hardy, determined, persistent—give Kathleen Goedert an anchor for remembering and moving on, in an essay that leads perfectly to her poem on Introspection.
Gone Fishing
Opinionated and strong-willed, father and daughter clashed frequently; but under it all was love and respect, as Kellie M. Shanley shares in this beautiful tribute.
Listening to the Angels
When Ali Becker was 11, her mother died of a rare form of liver cancer. At the age of 12, she wrote these extraordinary essays, which FaithHopeandFiction is proud to publish.
A Woman First
Motherhood found her and not the other way around, writes Lisa Dalton in this stirring reflection on parenting and self-expression.
A Serious Business
Even as children, we were on a “need-to-know-basis” with Dad, whose invitation to take a ride one Saturday became an impromptu fishing expedition.
The Last Time We Watched Paris
An old movie on the television, reminisces of glamorous starlets and handsome leading men, and the company of a mother and daughter invite us into an intimate portrait, in this moving essay by Julie A. Jacobs.
Magnifico Piano
In all its glossy, gleaming glory, the “magnifico piano” was a mother’s last gift to her young children, an extravagantly loving gesture to embrace art, beauty, and love, in this beautiful tribute by Tony Brown.
Telling Stories
Sitting in a diner, listening to her mother tell a story, Kathleen Goedert willingly slips back to childhood and all the times when stories consoled and saved her.
Emergencies of the Heart
Waiting in the emergency room, the hours drag by except, as Linda Breeden learns, when strangers come together to share from their hearts.
The Rhythm of Africa
From tourist to fellow traveler, Deborah Ridel leads us down dusty roads straight into the wonder of the rhythm of Africa.
Of Angels and Friends
Circling with love, care, and understanding, the angels and friends are ever-present in life, in this essay by Kathleen Goedert.
Comings and Going
A road trip, short by the odometer, but significant nonetheless, in an essay about solo journeys, coming home, and letting go.
When Spirit Recognizes Spirit
In a dream an old woman sits in a rocking chair. In real life, an accident leaves a crushed car in the middle of a highway. These two pieces connect uncannily in a true story by Ginny Gallagher, demonstrating the universal pull of spirit recognizing spirit.
Overcoming Regret
Who hasn’t done something they regret, writes Linda Thompson, inviting us to look at our lives as she shares glimpses of hers with compassion and forgiveness of self.
What Price Art
How much is a piece of pottery or a painting worth? How do you put a price on something you’ve made? Marla Bollak’s words of wisdom will inspire and instruct all of us who ponder value…and worth.
Walking the Labyrinth
Following the inward spiral spread out before her, writer Kathleen Goedert undertakes a meditative journey that mirrors and reflects her life.
When Mom Is a Biker Babe
Renee Kuusisto is a mother of six who drives a mini-van, except when she puts her helmet and rides her motorcycle to town in this essay of motherhood, freedom, and the open road.
Looking Back, but Moving Forward
Stately Victorians on one side, rundown shanties on the other, and in between a squat little house where writer Gracie Chandler lived years ago with her Mama. Looking back Gracie sees what propelled her forward then and keeps her moving today.
Another Name for Love
She was called Nana, Mimi, or Grandma by her grandchildren, but those names all meant the same thing: love, as writer Robin Wilson reflects upon the woman who was her mother and grandmother to 12.
It’s Not the Wrapping that Matters
From Christmas packages her grandmother wrapped up comic strips, writer Marcie Gribbin learned that what was on the outside didn’t matter—which became a tender life lesson.
The Girl, the Ice, and Life Lessons
November ice on a country pond beckons children with its false promise of fun, a warning of dangers that, even forty years later, recall important life lessons, in this essay by Kellie M. Stanley.
Praying for Safety
A mailbox beaten with a bat, eggs thrown at a car…these things prompt Kathleen Goedert to pray for safety. Yet without an appetite for risk, she writes, life would become dull and stagnant.
Pain and Punishment
Everyone does prison differently, says Kathleen Rowe-Glendon. For her, surviving prison meant living from one visit from her children to the next a painful reminder of what she endured and never will again.
When Life Is More Than Work
Circumstances took writer Linda Breeden out of the corporate world long enough to recover her life, discovering that there was more to it than only work.
Enlightenment Through Diaper Changing
Author, speaker, world-traveler and new dad, John Strelecky shares the wisdom he learned from his baby daughter, Sophia, on the joy of taking care of each other’s needs.
Is Anything Normal About Life?
Paging through last year’s calendar, Rebecca Lytle pauses on a week when life was anything but normal—unless, perhaps, the joy and sadness, death and celebration, are what life is all about.
The Keeper of Audrey’s Garden
For Kellie M. Shanley, a rock garden filled with colorful flowers was a little piece of heaven and the gardener she visited watched over her like a guardian angel.
Tiny Steps to Big Dreams: Showing Up Always Shines
Featured author Tama Kieves shares her wisdom and experience for taking the creative road less traveled in this excerpt from her best-selling book.
Getting By with a Little Help
Louise Caiola shares the pangs and joys of motherhood and the bittersweet moment of knowing a child doesn’t need her any more or does she?
Smuggling a Cheesesteak into Intensive Care
Author Sharon Naylor serves up a moving essay of love and family care, which comes in the form of cinnamon, chocolate, and cheesesteak.
The 17-Year Lifecycle
The re-emergence of the cicadas may not be as inviting as, say, a class reunion, but still provides insights into life then, now and, that is to come.
Throwed Rolls
Jerry Percak reflects on the joy of the open road and the occasional rest stop to partake of Regional Food, sometimes with a flying flair.
The Good Race
Marathon runner Nancy Rollins competed in the Boston Marathon, running an unexpected race that became a metaphor for life.
Gray Matters
Louise Caiola muses on getting older and other gray matters, and the inevitable journey that we all share.
A Real Beauty
This essay by author Dallas Woodburn (read Author Interview with her) is aptly named: for the sunset, the conversation between grandfather and granddaughter, and the longing of a young woman to know her late grandmother.
In Praise of Weeds
Tenacity! Resilience! A hero’s qualities? Perhaps, but also praise for weeds, says author Eva Shaw, Ph.D., (read Author Interview with her), who reflects on what needs to be weeded out of our lives.
Eskimo Roll
Tipping into discomfort fear and risk in a kayak, that is Jarrett Kerbel finds the perfect metaphor for faith.
Mom, Were You a Nerd?
In this humorous look at the generation gap, a mother ponders her own lack of the cool gene that has surfaced in her teenaged son.
Taking the Train
For writer Janie Gabbett, “trains are absolute magic.” In her delightful and moving essay, she explores the powerful and evocative memories that she associates with travel by train.
Treasure Box
Looking for his college transcripts in a storage box, Illinois writer Jerry Percak finds unexpected treasure.
Snowbound Survival
A tree falls… and sets off a chain reaction of genetic memory in a humorous look at snowfall and survival.
What We Remember
A collage of our treasured holiday and wintertime memories
I Wish I Could...
The dream to write, or whatever makes our hearts happy, is worth investing in with time and hope, advises writer Leslie Levine.
Frost on Roses
What if there were enough time to bloom, even though the frost appears on roses and summer has succumbed to late autumn?
Aunt Anna
Living alone on her farm in rural New England until the page of 107, Aunt Anna taught her great-niece life lessons that are part of her rich legacy.
Bobbing Heads
In her delightful essay, Bobbing Heads, Marion Croft of Canada turns an idyllic farm scene into a visual affirmation of all that is good in life.
The Place Where God Dwells
When the demands of daily life are pleasantly interrupted, we access a place of peace and grace--The Place Where God Dwells, as David Grauer of Park Ridge, IL, describes.
The People Who Drove the Van
In this tribute to his late father, San Diego writer Jose L. Cruz reminds us that sometimes in our lives, forces beyond our control or comprehension are moving us toward each other for a reason.
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