The First Night in the New Place
Surrounded by unopened boxes, a woman begins again with takeaway soup and a borrowed chair.
A chapter for you · 8 stories
New Beginnings
Stories about leaving, arriving, and taking the next small step.
Back to School at Forty-Eight
The oldest student in the evening class discovers that embarrassment is a poor guide to what she can learn.
The Monday After Retirement
After forty years of early starts, a man wakes with nowhere to be and no idea how to begin the day.
When the Shop Sign Came Down
Closing a beloved bookshop feels like failure, until its owner sees what the years have left in other people's lives.
The First Loaf for Sale
At a small Saturday market, a new baker learns to put her work on the table without apologizing for it.
The Road She Used to Run
Returning to a familiar path at a slower pace, a former runner has to rethink what counts as a good morning.
A Key to the Small Church
New to town, Thomas volunteers for the least glamorous job on the list and slowly finds a place to belong.
Taking the Long Way Home
Returning to her hometown feels like going backward, until Bethany stops measuring the journey that way.