The start of a new year may fill you with feelings of both anticipation and apprehension.  According to freelance writer Christina Capecchi, however, there is a simple and intellectually stimulating way to combat this anxiety: writing. Christopher Award-winning author David McCullough, whom Capecchi cites, claims that of all the lost art forms of our present world, the loss of daily writing is the most unfortunate. “The loss of people writing,” McCullough decried to Time magazine last year, “is not just... Read more

When the late Johnny Cash’s wife, June Carter Cash, died in 2003, many of the couple’s family and friends spoke at her funeral service. One of the most poignant eulogies was the one delivered by Rosanne Cash, Johnny’s daughter from his first marriage. Rosanne had this to say about the kind of person June was: “In her eyes there were two kinds of people in the world: those she knew and loved—and those she didn’t know and loved…She looked for... Read more

In his novel From the Corner of His Eye, best-selling author Dean Koontz shares thoughts on the power of kindness: “Not one day in anyone’s life is an uneventful day, no day without profound meaning, no matter how dull and boring it might seem, no matter whether you are a seamstress or a queen, a shoeshine boy or a movie star…because in every day of your life, there are opportunities to perform little kindnesses…” “Each smallest act of kindness reverberates... Read more

In 2008, New York Police Officer Susan Porcello and her partner responded to a 911 ambulance call that took them to a one-bedroom apartment at a Brooklyn address.  There they found Gaspar Musso, an elderly diabetic who lived alone.  He told them that he needed help, and that he had no family or friends.  Officer Porcello felt she had to say something, and it was a simple statement.  “Well,” she told Musso, “I’m your friend.” As reported by Denis Hamill... Read more

In 2008, high school basketball phenomenon Elena Delle Donne started attending the University of Connecticut, a decision that would likely have launched her sports career into the stratosphere because of the school’s reputation.  Two days later, she moved back to her home state to attend the University of Delaware which was 20 minutes from her family’s home. Her step back from quick personal success surprised many.  But Delle Donne wasn’t concerned with ‘personal’ success.  It was her sister, Lizzie, who... Read more

Father James Keller, the founder of The Christophers, had this to say about the guiding principle behind the organization: “The essence of being a Christopher—being a Christ bearer—is to do just what the Lord himself did.  He loved everybody.  He loved even those who were against him. “You’ll only do great things, you’ll only show great initiative and great daring, if you have love. “The only people, as I see it, who show great daring today are people who love... Read more

The Power to Give It’s said that it’s better to give than to receive. But what happens when you feel even what you do give isn’t enough? The Salwen family had always been considered a generous clan.  Parents Joan and Kevin volunteered for charities like Habitat for Humanity—and they joined their two children, Hannah and Joe, in working at a food shelter near their home in Atlanta, Georgia. In spite of her family’s contributions, 14-year-old Hannah still felt more could... Read more

When Vonetta Flowers competed for a spot in the 2000 Summer Olympics, she never imagined the long and winding road she would travel to achieve her goals. Plagued with knee and ankle injuries, Flowers didn’t make the finals in the track division. Then her husband heard about bobsledders looking for sprinters to train for the Winter Games because they needed people with certain athletic skills who could give a running push to the bobsled to start the race. Though she... Read more

During the mid-1950’s, a group of atheists demanded that the words “under God” be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance.  New York State Supreme Court Judge Isadore Bookstein ruled against the atheists. He stated that while the First Amendment guaranteed a citizen’s “right to disbelieve,” it gave the disbeliever “no preference over those who do believe in God.” Judge Bookstein wrote that the atheists’ interpretation of the First Amendment was faulty.  He explained, “It was conceived to prevent and prohibit... Read more

“Worry is the interest we pay on trouble before it is due.” This is an old and true saying.  If all the time and energy spent on fruitless worry could be channeled into positive and productive work, the world would be far better off than it is today. People who are over-fearful, troubled or apprehensive bring much unnecessary misery into their own lives and the lives of those around them. Worry not only takes away peace of mind, heart and... Read more