To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives—the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say "thank you" to all that has ...

Spending an evening at a shelter for homeless women was not my idea, but when a friend asked, I was perfectly willing to tag along.

Although the winter was still young, the cold was harsh. I nearly ran from the comfort of our car to the warmth of the church annex that had, for years, opened its doors as a refuge from the night.

The director, Christy, efficiently assigned tasks—to set the floor ...

"Hello. My name is Clark." (The people gathered in the room respond, "Hi, Clark.")

"I am a…" (Group says, "You can say it. It's okay.")

"I'm a…criticism avoider." (Applause all around.)

"It started when I was a kid…" ("Come on now. Tell it.")

...

"Then I would take the trash out when she asked me to, and she'd make a big deal over that too." ("We feel your pain, man.")

"And those good grades in school…" ...