A funny thing happened on my way to the American Dream
When Jerry Huffman was 14 he realized there was little chance he would ever replace Sandy Koufax in the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching rotation. Instead, he landed on a career in journalism. "I'm blessed in so many ways I've lost count," Huffman writes. "The mistake I made was buying into the media crap that an American Dream had to be bright and shiny to be real."
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Brother's disability changes perspective on life, normalcy
A.J. Zender's normal isn't the same as everyone else's. When his younger brother was diagnosed with a physical disability, his family didn't faltered on giving his brother a good life. He says "it just meant that we had to work that much harder to do so."
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A community rallies to help a struggling teen
At an elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, hundreds of people recently gathered in honor of Becca Collins, a 15-year-old girl with Batten Disease. It's a fatal nervous system disorder that she's struggled with since birth. Reporter Mari Grigaliunas shares Becca's story and how she has inspired others to "just keep swimming."
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Mother questions competitive youth sports culture
Studies abound touting the benefits of youth sports participation, but there are dangers that counter these benefits, such as serious injuries, stress and burnout. After hearing a mother lament about following doctor's orders after her child received a concussion playing basketball, writer Lori Aoki questions the uber competitive culture she sees in youth sports. Are the risks starting to outweigh the benefits?
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Fighting doubt about decision to have kids
Writer Tim Munkeby and his wife Mary have five kids. There were plenty of "what ifs" in the beginning, he says--What if we waited? What if we used contraception? But knowing what he knows now, Munkeby says they would have regretted any decision not to have kids.
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My grandpa reveals his Holocaust secret
"There was no place in my training as an 18- or 19-year-old soldier that even gave a hint as to what you would do if you came across a situation like this," Joe Iverson told his granddaughter. For 60 years, he kept a secret about what happened in Europe, about the atrocities that scarred him for the rest of his life.
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