Is it the marshmallows or the memories? — The red brick church sat facing the winding road, a steeple and white cross on top. If you are standing on the road, looking at the church entrance, you see a small pond to the left and as your eyes go up the steep hill, you see an old stone…

And how I learned to let go and live a happier life — Order. Predictability. Pattern, routine, habit. All of those can be comforting, calm, even restorative. But if we’re trying to control — if we are seeking to create our own order from a world that seems chaotic — we can be in for some unpleasant experiences. In short: We can only…

You can do it yourself — without a credit repair company — In the wake of news that most medical debt will be removed from consumer credit reports this summer, you may be wondering how to be sure your credit report is accurate going forward. 70% of Medical Debt to be Removed from Credit Reports Credit reporting agencies announce relief for consumers facing medical debtadvocateandy.medium.com An accurate credit report matters because your credit score is used for things like getting a mortgage…

Money? Fame? Neverending coffee? — It’s the coffee. Well, it’s the coffee I’m drinking. And paying for. That coffee is seemingly neverending and it fuels my content creation. Or, well, maybe. I write about my adventures on ManyStories every single week. This past week, I was the number two top writer — with 11 stories…

Junk fees represent a multibillion-dollar profit center for banking industry — Consumers are on the verge of a huge win against the powerful banking industry as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced a new rule that would cap credit card late fees at $8. Companies currently charge people as much as $41 for each missed payment, and these fees…

A new third grade law exposes a testing system that consistently fails — Ah, yes. It’s that time of year again. The time of TNReady troubles. This year, of course, the TNReady issue is compounded with a new and ridiculous third grade retention law. We’ll start there. As a result of the devastating new law, third grade students who didn’t meet a certain…

Coping with memories in recovery — As I go further into my recovery journey, my mind keeps getting clearer. This is a blessing and a curse. It’s great to remember what I did and where I went and to know where I want to be. It’s wonderful to be able to focus — to get things…

And no one is coming to replace them — Nashville’s Fox 17 reports that Tennessee is facing a teacher shortage that is growing worse by the year: The report shows this school year started with more than 1,000 teacher vacancies state-wide, and about 3,000 positions filled by people with an emergency teaching credential. …

A place to share (and grow) — It’s Tuesday, and I’m sharing another Many Stories success story. This past week, I was the third top writer on the content sharing platform. Sure, that’s down from the past two weeks, when I scored consecutive number 2 rankings, but it still places my profile on the front page of…