Menderist shares stories about how people turned difficult moments, days, and situations around. See the menu to choose stories in the categories of Relationships; Health; Work; At Home; and Outside and Around.
Special Issues: Family Mental Health, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorable Gift, Teacher/Educator, Year in Review
An educator and school librarian remembers her experience as an immigrant student – and shares some ways she helps young pupils to be seen.
“When I attended school as a child, I rarely saw any representation of myself reflected in the curriculum….”
How can a teacher help a new immigrant to settle into her new country? A volunteer mentor / aide in a program teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), shares a story about a young mother dealing with major challenges.
“A young mother I recently mentored was a new immigrant, a teacher from Cameroon, Africa. She’d upgraded her teaching degree….”
A father’s approach to problem solving creates lifelong memories.
“My father had a very simple policy: all problems were just puzzles to be solved – all puzzles had a solution. The trick was to understand….”
An adopted son receives an unforgettable lesson from his new father.
“When I was seven years old and at a family gathering, I noticed all my cousins calling my dad by his given name, Joe. So I started….”
A father of four reflects on the steps that helped continue good family communication and build positive memories after the death of his wife, Maureen.
“When my wife passed away, the children were 12,12,14 and 15. The challenge of parenting as a single dad was terrifying. I didn’t have a plan, but I still wanted to be a family….”
A psychiatrist remembers her father’s reaction to an early driving mishap, and reflects on how that response guides her work and parenting today.
“An old family video shows me, around five years of age, crying… frustrated that my toys keep falling off a toy wheelbarrow as I struggle….”
A teacher recalls the memorable day her husband began teaching their son about money skills and budgeting.
My husband bravely became part of our family when the kids were teenagers. Memories of our wedding ceremony always make me chuckle. I picture us….”
How could have the same kind of accident happened to my family twice…within days?
“It’s finally dinner, and I’m already at the table when my youngest daughter joins us. A serving plate sits at the centre, heaped with the bright orangey red of tandoori….”
It was another rainy day in the middle of tax season. And going to the store was just another errand – until the memories returned.
“April was a month of heavy adulthood. Like many parents, I was a cheerleader for a university student who was writing essays. And responsible for ….”
A university student was having the rough kind of grownup morning. How could her parent help turn the day around?
“My daughter’s day didn’t start off well. She’d stayed up late to finish university essays and study for an exam, and only got a few hours of sleep. In the morning she hurried to get ready for the 7:15 am train and realized she was getting a cold….”
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Every few weeks, people share encouraging essays, anecdotes, and stories about moments that turned their day around.
