“I was around 19, taking college classes, when I got mononucleosis. So I dropped out while recovering. And I immediately received a draft notice. I flunked my physical because of the mono, and because one leg was a little shorter than the other. I also … Continue readingVeteran still deals with impacts of Vietnam War
“Growing up, there was a lot of chaos and turmoil in my home. I had two drug-addicted parents. And when I was 8, my mom started dealing drugs. People were coming and going. There were a lot of unsafe activities. There was alcohol. There was … Continue readingMagical life blooms after challenging start
“Healing comes from letting there be room for all of ‘this’ to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” — Pema Chodron “Grief doesn’t just bring tears. It enters your heart, your bones, your spirit, every movement and breath you take. Losing … Continue readingEarring project helps keep couple’s story alive
“I think that I did it to myself. I played rhythm guitar in a church band. We had our amplifiers sitting right beside us. We wanted to be heard, so they were turned up real loud. All the years of playing in the band, and … Continue readingOpening lines of communication with deaf, hard-of-hearing
This story contains excerpts from “So I Won’t Forget,” by Cindy Lipps, D.V.M. She began her veterinary practice at Archer Road Animal Hospital in Baytown in 1984. “My youngest daughter married in October 2016. In 2017, our church offered a Dave Ramsey study on saving … Continue readingThe day ‘my life changed forever’
“In the early ‘90s, Central Heights was the type of neighborhood where you would get off the school bus, do your homework, and come to the park to play ball until the street lights came on. It was a tough neighborhood, with rivalries and occasional … Continue readingTIE program sets positive course for young men
“One of my duties at work was to create ID badges for all the employees. They had to be renewed on everyone’s birthday. When Juan came to see me, I made his ID and we flirted a little bit. “Afterward, I jokingly said to my … Continue readingShe’s suffered her share of tragic losses
“We were going into Houston for dinner with some good friends. Because we expected to have a drink or two, we asked our daughter to be our Uber driver. She was a college student. She was home. She needed the money. So we had her … Continue readingDrunk driver forever changes her life
A childhood accident took her hearing. A determined son and daughter helped return it. Using sign language, Yolanda Willey says she was about 5 years old when she fell at home. Her memory of the incident is a bit fuzzy — it happened more than … Continue readingShe gains her freedom from the sounds of silence
Allen Guy didn’t enjoy a storybook childhood. Early life chapters were filled with things like an absent father, exposure to drugs and an infant brother who died in his arms. As he got older, things didn’t get much easier. … Continue readingYBS Mentoring makes positive impact on youth