Author: Donna Hessel

Of course it was snowing. It had been a long weekend and for this one night she was looking forward to staying home and probably going to bed early. Then the call came. He wasn’t doing well, and they needed her to come as soon as possible. Her hands were tight on the wheel as…

I have always believed that one of the greatest arguments for God is that cultures all over the world have rituals and prayers celebrating the Creator. This prayer was used at a celebration of the life of a truly beautiful woman with Native American heritage. Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds,…

There are aches of the heart so deep that words cannot touch them. They lie in the darkness, growing beyond the confines we think we have erected. We turn away and face inward, shriveling in the hurt and anguish. Loving hands are brushed aside, comforting words ignored. And even there You find us, Your cross…

She knew it shouldn’t be such a struggle, but it always was. So much so, that often two years would go by before she could bring herself to go. Excuses were easy: “I don’t want to go to a priest who knows me;” “The weather is getting bad;” “I really haven’t done anything that horrible;”…

Beautiful words of hope and faith by Pope Francis: “You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. Many appreciate you, admire you and love you. Remember that to be happy is…

He was 16 years old and ready to fight. Like so many others, he was proud of his country, proud of his family, proud of his heritage. His two older brothers were in the war. The oldest moving up the ranks to general in the army, the second oldest part of the prestigious fighter pilots…

You like to tease me, reminding me of how poor my memory is. In many cases you’re right, but I clearly remember each of your births. How quickly the physical pain gave way to the immense joy of holding you in my arms. How your father and I would look back and forth from you…

Funny how something so important can fall by the wayside. A few days turns into a few weeks, turns into months. You don’t mean for it to happen, it just does. Something that was life-giving takes a backseat. The sad part is, you didn’t even realize how much it meant to you. Why did you…

He needed a job. He was a Vietnam vet and barely making a living. His skills weren’t easily transferable to civilian life, but he was willing to work hard if it meant a safe place to live. He was hired to clean and maintain and he took his job seriously. Although he smiled and said…

She was used to listening to other peoples’ stories. They would come in and sit down in her office and just start talking. Divorce, death, abuse, sickness, disappointments, no topic was ever off-limits. It taught her many things, like the fragility of life and the pain of loving. Her job was to help people see…