Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father's Day to my foster father, Gardiner Smith. Gardiner and Fay were a young couple with two small children when they felt inspired to move to a village in central Alberta, where he began to teach science at the local school.  One day the teachers had a staff meeting, and a social worker told…

An Ensign of Liberty

In the New York Harbor stands a lady with her torch held high, lighting the way for millions who have come to America seeking peace, liberty, freedom to worship, and the opportunity to live, work, and grow here.  In the other arm she carries a tablet inscribed with the date of the Declaration of Independence,…

Stories from a Father

When my sister and I moved to our new foster home, we had no idea how much our lives would change. We came with a lot of problems that stemmed from the destructive home life we had survived. Now we were finally in a stable environment with a family that loved each other and extended…

Yoga With Ana

Tuesday and Thursday mornings usually find me at my friend Ana's house doing yoga. Three years ago when we first moved here, Ana invited me to come with them to a church potluck dinner. I was in shock from the move, scared to even drive to the grocery store, and suffering from the high elevation,…

Another Mother’s Day tribute

Mother's Day is always a tough day to get through. It's kind of like going to a funeral, where you talk about all the wonderful qualities this person had but ignore all the bad or negative things about them. People get up in church and talk about the ideal mother and how wonderful their mother…