Jerry slumped over his desk in the corner of the small office, just a few feet from the coffee counter where he spent most of his time making customers happy. The numbers didn’t add up. He wasn’t turning enough of a profit to keep his coffee shop a viable business. His product was good, his location was ideal, but he just wasn’t pulling in

She tiptoed down the hallway of her beloved home, honing in on the quiet sobs that had awakened her. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since her mother had tucked her into bed, but tomorrow would be her first day of third grade, and she was sleeping even lighter than usual. Her little hands felt for the familiar chair rail and doorways,

Darin was mesmerized as his father slowly navigated their all-wheel-drive SUV along the freshly-plowed road that wound through the wilderness area in the Rockies. His nose was pressed up against the frosty window as he marveled at what looked like the surreal paintings he had seen in his second grade geography book. Gusts of wind blew the lightly falling snow across the gorgeous landscape.

“That’s not fair!” whined the four-year-old dusty-headed boy who was defiantly challenging his patient, daycare teacher, as he stared longingly out the window. “Alora and Ivy got to go outside and play, and you’re making me and Sage stay inside. How come the girls get to go outside and the boys don’t?” “Asher,” the teacher answered gently as she touched his arm, “please calm