Growing up amid the beautiful green hills of North Carolina, Sarah Anderson appreciates the natural beauty of her hometown of Durham. Although she has lived in Utah, Georgia, and Florida for brief periods of time, she always returns to North Carolina. “I love it! It is beautiful, green, but most of all there is not…
The first Christmas my family spent in our home I was struck by many things: the generosity of a large group of neighbors who had stopped on a nightly walk to help us unload our moving truck, even going so far as to unpack our suitcases and hang our clothes in the closets; the lack…
Lead Photo: “Face of Autumn,” a photo created by David Keddy as a remembrance of the very spot and season where he and Norma met by Lake Banook in Canada, is an abundant gift of sharing and friendship. Admit it. You’ve had a few stressful moments contemplating what gifts you’ll give this year…
Our internal compass doesn’t require handbooks and hours of training to operate. We needn’t navigate difficult trails. In fact, we may become lost in life if we try to take direction from every good impulse or idea that comes to us. After viewing a discussion by two very wise women, I decided to follow their…
Members of a women’s organization were recently given a “compass course challenge” to find a small and simple thing that they were led to do and then write down how the experience made them feel. Here are some of their stories: Ginger – A woman that I don’t know well volunteers as my son’s Cub…
A major way that we can prevent trafficking is by reducing the vulnerability of individuals in our communities. Speaking about preventing sex trafficking, Rabbi Rachael Bregman emphasized that vulnerability comes from invisibility—we cannot let people be invisible. She said, “Smile at the people on the street as if you are you are seeing the face…
Pat Frandsen is a member of the media team and shares her skills as a videographer. When I interviewed her, I found she widely shares much more than that. Her words jumped out at me, “Our umbrellas need to be larger and incorporate people from many different backgrounds.” The more I learned about her, I…
We met Dr. Ugochi Ohajuruka at the United Nation’s CSW (Conference on the Status of Women) in 2017 and again in 2018. Dr. Oha, as she instructed us to call her, is the CEO and founder of Health Aid For All Initiative (HAFAI). She spoke to us about her campaign against female genital mutilation, sustainable…
Four years ago, as we stood around an altar in southern Israel, my professor explained to us that in ancient Israel every member of the family was involved in making a loaf of bread. The men and boys would be working out in the fields, planting and harvesting, and the women and girls would grind…
We live in a modest neighborhood. Our homes are old-school and certainly won’t be mistaken for model homes. The families that live in these homes, however, are unique models modestly contributing to the world family in our corner of the world. We can talk all day long about greatly valuing families, but these neighbors of…