Last Sunday I attended one of the best baby showers ever. This is amazing for me to say because I tend to be a cynical about the fuss people make over whether to buy pink or blue clothes (the baby doesn't care!), games that force me out of my seat and ladies discussing diaper issues.

Cherlyn always thought she had a pretty good childhood. Surrounded by family and close friends in Denver, she discovered early that she was adopted.

I wish I had a quarter for every time I've heard a parent say fretfully, "I just want my children to be happy."

One of my co-workers, who is known for his light-hearted humor and graced with an engaging smile, opened his arms wide to hug me one morning. Receiving it with laughter, I felt warmed, made ready for work and startled all at once.

I'm eating a FiberOne bar as I write this column. The information on the package promises to provide 35 percent of the fiber I need each day. Is it healthy? I have no idea.

"We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them."

Sitting in on the opening day ceremony at the Girls' Leadership Academy in the Westside recently, I felt inspired, proud and excited. There was a sense of destiny and purpose in the air at the opening of the charter school. We all listened as powerful women told their personal stories -- some already successful, others just beginning the journey -- all amazing.

Racial profiling has gotten much media attention in recent weeks. It began with the arrest of Harvard professor Dr. Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. That led to controversial remarks made by President Barack Obama, which provoked a passionate response of the Cambridge Police Department and finally resulted in a friendly drink on the White House lawn with all parties involved.

At 21, Leah (not her real name) was married, pregnant and happy. So far, things had gone textbook perfect.

You are suddenly unemployed. Terminated. Let go. How do you begin moving on?

Father's Day has come and gone, but I still can't stop thinking about dads. My father enjoyed engaging us children. I still remember jumping in the car with him after basketball practice one day in middle school, asking him to drop off a friend.

As the school year draws to an end, students aren’t the only ones yearning for a vacation. Many teachers can’t wait for the much-needed break from the halls of learning.

A 16-year old struggles to break off a physically abusive relationship. A father faces the fact that his son’s bipolar rages have become so intense that he will need to hospitalize him for a time. A mother realizes that due to lack of money, her only daughter will need to be placed in custody to receive the treatment she needs.

When the young, the beautiful and the famous show the world that they are just as vulnerable as the rest of us, we sit up and take notice. Two young pop stars had a horrible fight one night, and the results were aired internationally.

I love the new year. It’s a chance to begin again, leave old things behind, look forward to something fresh and new.

This holiday season is full of interesting customs and traditions that are not often explored. When one person recently told me he thought Kwanzaa (an African-American holiday) was a Jewish holiday, I thought, “You know, it may be time all of us took a refresher course on the holidays.”

This year’s elections were full of surprises. A woman (Hillary Clinton) and an African-American (Barack Obama) were the strongest candidates vying for the Democratic ticket.

One of the most painful things to hear as a counselor is a tirade of self-loathing.

We’re terrified of the word. Many of us grew up this way and have spent our entire adult lives beating it from our doorways. We remember the fear, the helplessness and the frustration of being poor.

When Callie (not her real name) discovered that her 11-year-old son had been viewing sexually explicit DVDs, she was horrified. She never imagined a pre-adolescent child, especially one as fun-loving and innocent as her son, would want to view such material.

Never-married and childless, Stephanie (not her real name) never dreamed her life would turn out the way it has.

Some people like to work alone.

It keeps us awake when we need sleep. It causes us to gasp for breath, tire out easily and fly off the handle. Stress is part of our daily lives, but many of us are struggling with more of it than we can handle.

How I remember my school days! The excitement of change and the promise of new discoveries made the beginning of a school year a positive time for me.

When writer and minister Keith B. was growing up, his family didn’t have much.

On my bedroom dresser stands a photograph of myself with a baby on my back. The child is one of my energetic nieces. The photo was taken a few years ago when my niece, now age 7, could barely walk.

Remember slumber parties? Pigtailed and glassy-eyed, as little girls we giggled into the night in our best PJs.

Sherri (not her real name) was used to seeing her father on weekends, summers, and holidays as a child.

Recent media reports have raised public awareness about the rights and beliefs of certain religious sects.

Going green doesn’t happen overnight.

I must sound the alarm on myself. We’re almost halfway through 2008, and I have barely made progress on my New Year’s resolution to banish chronic tardiness from my life forever.

Years ago, while writing in my bedroom one night, I was caught off guard by a rap on my window one night.

I spent last weekend writing, talking about writing and listening to people talk about writing.

Remember the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day”?

Alfred (not his real name) had noticed erratic changes in his nephew Jay’s behavior. Normally a pleasant and easygoing kid, Jay had reported that people were following him, and he seemed unusually paranoid and distrustful — even of family members.

I once attended a training where the speaker asked those present to participate in an exercise. We were to break up into pairs and tell each other about our week, highlighting the negative parts.