Good Morning People!!! Davis picked up the phone and dialed the only number he knew by memory. It was his only free call before being escorted back to the cells where other inmates awaited. His mother answered the phone and immediately recognized her son. “Davis? Is everything alright?” Davis then told his mother what had happened. He had been arrested again for driving while intoxicated—his second offense—but this time, he would need to pay $5,000 to be released until his co

Good Morning People!! Tracy. The infamous adventurous risk-taker. She doesn’t like to plan, doesn’t like to delegate, and definitely can’t stand having too many options to choose from. She just likes to take things one day at a time—go with the flow. On this particular day, Tracy decided to have the hardtop cover on her 1972 classic Chevrolet K5 Blazer removed for a weekend drive up the coast. It would be a four-hour drive to her destination, but the view, along with the wi

Good Morning People!! A few years ago, I had the honor of reading a book written by Russell H. Conwell entitled Acres of Diamonds . The book is about an African farmer who sold his farm and liquidated all of his assets in order to fund an expedition in pursuit of diamonds. Long story short, the farmer never found what he was searching for. He did, however, lose everything he had while searching. With nowhere to turn, the man threw himself into a river and drowned. A short tim

Good Morning People!!! Alberto needed a new facilities manager. He had just fired the previous one due to his rude behavior and decided that the next hire would need to have compassionate qualities. So, he placed an ad for the position and scheduled interviews to be held the following Tuesday. When the day came, Alberto dressed up as a homeless man and positioned himself on the ground just outside his office entrance with a sign that read, “Anything helps.” As the interviewee

Good Morning People!!! Today was Franklin’s last day. He had been planning to start his own painting business for years, but until he gained enough knowledge about painting—and how to actually run a business—he worked for a company as an employee. The owner of the painting company didn’t foster the best practices, and after years of witnessing some pretty unethical behavior, Franklin decided to expedite his business plans. He still needed to keep his job, though, and remember

Good Morning People!! “Everything’s Going to Be Alright” by Bob Marley could be heard playing through the speakers of the 1963 Lincoln Continental that 43-year-old Iris was driving. Even after the doctors told him that he had less than a month to live, Iris woke up each day with the idea in his mind that, despite what they said, he was going to outlive them all. The longer he maintained his positive and optimistic mindset, the longer he lived. The doctors didn’t understand ho

Good Morning People!!! Nothing seemed to be going right for Cynthia, and the attitude she carried around each and every day did nothing to help her situation. You see, Cynthia had a self-entitlement problem, and her belief was this: she was never wrong about anything, she needed no advice, and her only issues were financial. Because of this, the only way she felt anyone could actually help her was by paying her way out of all of her problems. The more people paid into this, t

Good Morning People!!! It was almost midnight, and Lauren couldn’t sleep. She lay in bed, scrolling through reels on one of her social media sites, when one post in particular caught her eye. It was about an audition for the show American Idol . Lauren had an amazing talent for singing, and her whole life she had dreamed of performing on a stage in front of thousands of people. This could be her chance—this could be the opportunity she had been waiting for. What if she filled

What’s Good People!!! I grew up without a father. My mom gave up hope and walked out on him when I was (pretty much) still a baby. I grew up missing the feeling of having that strong male leader during my developing years, and because of it, my first attempt at being a father turned into a horror show. I never learned the attributes of what being a father consisted of until I graduated to prison at 15—and what a feeling it was going from having no father to gaining a prison f

Good Morning People! Belle grabbed her suitcase, packed with just a few essentials, and walked to the front door, ready to leave. As she did, she listened intently to her husband as he insisted that leaving him would not work out in her favor. He reminded her that, because of him, she had it all and that her life had been perfect. Belle, however, felt differently. She knew she could make it on her own. She also knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she was a survivor, willing to do w

Good Morning People!!! Back in 2019 while out door dashing I decided to stop by my brother Tyson’s house for one of our garage talks. We’d simply sit out in the garage, shoot the breeze, and catch up on all of our life events. This particular visit would help remind me that giving up was not an option. You see, this man has been the longest and most consistent father figure in my life. This man has also witnessed me fail in every stage of my life as well. To hear him tell me

Good Morning, People Jeanie lived in a neighborhood where hope had been fading over the years. Everyone’s yards were overgrown, and each yard seemed completely trashed most of the time. The morale was gone. Change needed to happen. Jeanie believed change started with one action. To test the waters, she cleaned her yard, painted her fence, and smiled at everyone who passed. Then she organized a Saturday clean-up. Only two neighbors showed up, but she kept at it. Week after wee

Good Morning People!! A few months ago, I received a message on Facebook Messenger from one of my younger brothers. He was a little upset with me because I wasn’t so quick to lend him money. He spent nearly 1,000 words in those messages explaining how much I had changed and how I wasn’t the same as I used to be. He was right. I wasn’t the same person anymore. I had completely changed my life for the better. But what I found exhilarating was the fact that, for the first time s

It’s the people behind the scenes who don’t need the spotlight. The ones speaking your name in rooms you’re not in. The ones pushing you forward quietly while you’re busy doing the work. They don’t post about it. They don’t announce it. They just show up—in prayer, in encouragement, in belief. It’s the lessons you learned the hard way. The resilience built on nights nobody saw you cry. The faith that steadies you when the applause is gone. Not every pillar shows up as a perso

Good Morning People!! Toraze sat at the lunchroom table, listening as two of his junior high school friends discussed how they were going to end the school year by slamming rotten eggs all throughout the school on the last day. The plan was strategic, organized, and well thought out. The only issue was that Toraze did not agree. He knew what this act would do to the school’s environment, and he also understood that it would not only disrupt the staff but also his fellow stude

Good Morning People!!! Brian woke up feeling great. Because of this, he held the elevator door open for a man he saw running down the hall. Thomas was grateful for the gesture from the man holding the elevator open for him. He wasn’t used to people helping him, so he decided to return the favor. While in the drive-thru lane at the coffee house up the block, Thomas not only paid for his own order but also for the person in the car behind him. Sabrina needed a coffee badly. She

Good Morning People!!! Back in 7th grade, I had a wood/metal shop teacher who carried a cup of coffee everywhere he went. His name was Mr. Armburst. Mr. Armburst drank coffee all day long—so much coffee, in fact, that we all believed it was the reason he was such a happy and fun teacher to have. If he wasn’t whistling a tune or cracking jokes, he was telling us a cool story. Mr. Armburst was also the after-school wrestling coach, and I happened to be on the team as well. He w

Good Afternoon, People!!! In 1972, what became known as “The Match of the Century” took place in Iceland. It was the World Chess Championship between challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union. Spassky was a cunning player who had spent a great deal of time studying Fischer’s style of play, so he felt confident that he would eliminate Fischer’s chances of winning the world chess title. What Spassky didn’t anticipate

Good Morning People!! While serving a short prison sentence back in 1999 at the Omaha Correctional Center in East Omaha, Nebraska, I met a guy named Anthony. Anthony was cooler than the inside of an ice cream lid, so it was no wonder we hit it off so well. We eventually connected on the streets, and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because Anthony worked as a lighting technician for a company that needed help. I applied and found a new love for the trade. Unfortunat

Good Morning People!!! Kelly looked into the mirror at the person staring back at her. What she saw was someone totally different from just 30 days prior. The last time Kelly looked at herself, she was 20 pounds heavier than the person now staring back. She was also a much stronger person. You see, 30 days ago, Kelly made the decision to lose weight. Even though she wasn’t optimistic about sticking to it, she knew she had to try. At first, she didn’t believe she had the willp