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President Abraham Lincoln led America through the ravages of the Civil War with dignity and grace. In his second inaugural address, as the South was collapsing in the last of the battles, Lincoln called for “malice toward none” and “charity for all.”i In essence, he spoke of showing kindness in the most difficult of circumstances. […]
A story set in the early 1800s tells of Philip Nolan, a young officer in the United States Army who gets caught up in a plot to overthrow the government. Convicted of treason, he swears in rash anger that he wishes never again to hear the words the United States of America. The judge decides […]
Finish each day and be done with it,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely.”1 Emerson reminds us that each new day is a gift, a new […]
The son of a renowned scientist recalls a powerful teaching moment that strengthened his relationship with his father. When the son entered college, the father encouraged him to follow in his footsteps and major in physics. One day the son was struggling with a complex mathematical problem and asked for his father’s help. They went […]
A traveler once pulled into a gas station and asked the attendant how far it was to the Grand Canyon. “About 170 miles” was the answer. “What’s it like there?” the traveler asked. “I don’t know. I’ve never been there,” the attendant answered. The traveler was shocked. “You mean to tell me you live this close […]
Family reunions help us reconnect with loved ones and remind us of what really matters. Reunions need not be extravagant affairs—they can be as simple as an afternoon in the park or a barbeque in the backyard. The food, decorations, program, and activities are not as important as the gathering itself: just getting together, remembering […]
To fallen soldiers let us sing Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing; Our broken brothers let us bring To the mansions of the Lord. . . . No more bleeding, no more fight; No prayers pleading through the night; Just divine embrace, eternal light In the mansions of the Lord.1 This stirring hymn was […]
What do you see and feel when you look around at this magnificent world? Do you see diverse colors, faces, landscapes, and seascapes? What do you learn from others who live in different cultures, use expressions you might not understand, and eat things you might not consider food? A nurse in the Far East stood […]
At the end of a long day, a busy mother sat down for what seemed like the first time since she got out of bed that morning. She was so exhausted she wanted to cry, but she didn’t even have the energy for that. She looked around the room and saw a day’s worth of […]
In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin tells of his strong desire to develop a worthy character. To do this, he made a list of the 12 virtues he most wanted to achieve and then came up with a systematic plan to practice each one. After learning of the plan, a friend suggested that he add one […]
In a hospital emergency room, a team of surgeons was urgently called. Four passengers in a car accident had just arrived by ambulance, and their injuries were life threatening. Running on adrenalin and focused on their demanding task, the doctors worked around the clock, mobilizing others around them to give all they had to save […]
New research affirms what most of us know from personal experience: positive thoughts and actions help both the giver and receiver feel better. Scientists call these “positive activity interventions,” though you might simply call them good deeds. They can be as simple as helping someone in need, showing some kindness, writing a thank you note, […]
A little bit of living teaches us that we often learn more from our setbacks than we do from our successes. Not long ago, Dr. Benjamin Carson, noted professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, encouraged university students to learn from the past. He pointed out that heart transplants, kidney transplants, and other such […]
Today we celebrate the promise of new life—the assurance that no matter the darkness and despair, always there is light and hope. Even after a long winter, spring always triumphs, and life is renewed: one blossom, one flower, one person at a time. Spring is never more invigorating than in the life of an individual, […]
There is beauty all around when there’s love at home.”1 Think what could happen to the world if everyone had a place of love, peace, and security to come home to. Ponder the power of love—anywhere, but especially at home. One family was given the rare opportunity to see how the mood in their […]
Great songs have staying power, not just because the tune is catchy and the words rhyme. Great songs carry a great message—one that is both timely and timeless. One such great song was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1968, in a nation embroiled in race riots, assassinations, and war protests. In the midst of this […]
What if we were willing to reach out in love and kindness without expecting anything in return? What if love, the universal language, inspired our words and actions? A boy named Danny felt the power of such love when he found his mother’s best shoes caked with mud after a rainstorm. Without telling her, Danny […]
A young student sat at his desk, beaming as his teacher praised his perfect score in front of the rest of the class. But when the tests were handed back, he realized he had actually made a mistake and didn’t truly deserve his perfect grade. He debated with himself whether to tell the teacher or […]
Beautiful art is good for the soul. It can lift and inspire; it can calm and soothe; it can inform and enlighten. Art improves our quality of life and has been shown to stimulate brain function, reduce stress, and help us focus on things that really matter.1Those who take time to appreciate art—in its many […]
More than seven decades ago, a popular film swept the country—a magical tale of a girl searching for home, for happiness and peace. The enduring appeal of The Wizard of Oz has made it a beloved part of American culture. At its heart, the movie features a ballad, “Over the Rainbow,” which won the Academy […]
Winners do not always finish first. This observation seems contradictory—finishing first is what winning means. We are taught from early on that life’s winners are those who come out on top, who make the most money, who score the highest, jump the farthest, and run the fastest. Very often, to those with the so-called “winning […]
Just as individuals can overcome hardship and surmount challenges, so can communities and nations. Very often, it is in the soil of difficulty that the fruit of resilience and progress grows. Nearly a hundred years ago, the cotton crops of Enterprise, Alabama, were devastated by a boll weevil infestation. The area’s economy was shattered, and […]
Years ago, Jenkins Lloyd Jones wrote the following about marriage, and about life: “There seems to be a superstition among many thousands of our young [men and women] . . . that marriage is a cottage surrounded by perpetual hollyhocks to which a perpetually young and handsome husband comes home to a perpetually young and […]
Have you ever seen a painting by the artist Renoir—in a museum, perhaps, or in a book of impressionist art? We marvel at the beauty he captured, the sudden burst of color in a portrait, the serenity of a French meadow scene. But as famous as Renoir is, few people realize that he painted much […]
Nineteenth-century American writer Christian Bovee once said, “The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater, ennoble it.”1 Sometimes, with the pressures and stresses of life, we might forget that in many cases, the small things are the big things. The lessons of good manners we learned as children—to say “please” and “thank you” and “excuse me”—may […]
On a blustery winter evening in 1956, Martin Luther King attended a church meeting in Montgomery, Alabama, leaving his wife and baby at home. Near the close of the meeting, a man burst into the room and announced that King’s house had been bombed. King rushed home to find his wife and baby safe; the […]
Very often, the surest way to make an adversity or heartache a little more bearable is to think a little more about the adversities and heartaches of others. It’s truly remarkable how such a simple shift in focus can change everything. Devin was one of those who faced serious hardships in life and yet found […]
The beginning of a new year is a good time to remember that most darkness is temporary. No matter how bleak or dark things may seem at times, the long nights of winter gradually grow shorter, a new day eventually dawns, and with it comes a new beginning and new confidence. Hope is the flame […]
One hundred and fifty years ago, Christmas of 1861, the great American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was too filled with grief to celebrate. Only months earlier his beloved wife had died in a tragic accident. At the same time, the country was caught up in a terrible civil war, and it seemed to Henry that sorrow filled not only his own life but the whole world. He wrote, "How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.”1
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed… And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of […]