09 Jun The Hour Has Come
By Reverend Angel L. Sullivan One of the worst parts of my call as an ordained minister serving as a chaplain is to look a parent in the face as I stand with the doctor when he or she says, "I am sorry. I...
05 Jun Learning to Live Our Truth
By Sylvie Griffiths I had my first child back in 2005, and, in all of the lessons I learned in that year of firsts, I realized that parenting is a balancing act. Balancing multiple relationships: kids, significant other, friends and co-workers—all simultaneously. Balancing working or...
04 Jun Yogi, Heal Thyself
“Yoga found me,” Tracy Kendrick says. “I was sentenced to prison in 2008—what brought me there was drug addiction and alcoholism.” In her life before prison, she says, “I had no way of knowing anything about yoga.” It just wasn’t part of her world. Tracy’s...
20 May Fresh Starts
PERC, People Empowering and Restoring Communities, is a nonprofit in Pinellas County, Fla., that works with men and women transitioning from incarceration back into society. PERC provides transitional housing, case management, outpatient substance abuse treatment, group counseling, paid workforce training, pre-employment skills development and employment...
18 May Art Inspired by Life
Caroline Karp was classically trained as a painter from a young age, working mostly in oils. When she started her bachelor of fine arts at Florida State University, she says, “I knew the technical skills for being a creator of artwork—mixing paint, etc.—and I felt...
14 May Her First Mother’s Day
When we last spoke with Brandi, she was a newlywed and busy entrepreneur. Now, she’s a new mom, happy wife and busy entrepreneur—during a global pandemic! Brandi and Mitch welcomed their first child, son Troy, in February, and we couldn’t resist checking in with her for...
13 May Through the Looking Glass
By Jay Wilson It’s a family story that has been around for as long as I’ve been alive. I was born a month early nearly 50 years ago. Upon delivery, I was whisked away to the safety of 1970s neo-natal intensive care technology. Into the bassinet I...
21 Apr New Directions
Born in Uganda, Youth Coordinator Denise Birungi Evans joined the local nonprofit Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance (HCADA) in 2013 after completing her bachelor’s degree in public health. Denise is focused on training students to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use (including vaping) among their...
16 Apr We Have Time
By Sylvie Griffiths Living in the days when coronavirus is spreading globally isn’t my ideal topic. In part because I like to do positive and humorous writing when I’m down. Writing is my escape; clearing my head when thoughts overwhelm my brain, expressing things I would...
09 Apr Learning to Radiate
By Jackie Sue Griffin As a journalist, I thought I’d mastered all forms of written and oral communication. Then my son, Devon Tyler Konyha, was born September 18, 1990. My son has high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Raising Devon has provided me the opportunity to relearn everything I...