family bonds
— A girl resentful of caring for her sister with cerebral palsy realizes during a Thanksgiving church service that her sister has never complained despite having far less.
— A young pitcher struggles through a tough inning, then later coaches his younger brother through batting practice, passing on his coach's wisdom about perseverance.
— A Mexican-American girl's nursing school dreams seem crushed by poverty until her cantankerous neighbor unexpectedly offers to pay her college tuition.
— A young artist who draws the sunrise every morning struggles with her mother's acting ambitions for her, then finds hope after losing an art contest when her grandmother offers to...
— A six-year-old girl hatches a duckling from an abandoned egg, raises it as her best friend, then learns to let it return to its wild family at the pond.
— A seven-year-old girl reluctantly tries water-skiing again on the Mississippi River and finally succeeds, discovering the joy she'd been missing.
— From a peach tree, a girl watches her sister ride and remembers her own horse Bosa, sold years ago, recalling their stubborn bond and the day they parted.
— A girl watches her sister ride horses while remembering her own beloved mare Bosa, sold years ago, and the adventures they shared together.
— A writer recalls her first trip to Alaska ten years ago, where she befriended a pack of wolves—Lakota, Pike, and Kepa—and witnessed their struggles to survive through a brutal winter.
— A girl visits her mother's grave before moving across the country, bringing roses and struggling to say goodbye until a mysterious breeze brings comfort.