This I Believe

Korinthia Klein’s grandfather was her biggest fan when she was a young music student. When she finally learned his favorite song, Klein had only one chance to play it for him. She believes it was more than a musical gift. It was one of love and comfort.

In his 1953 memoir, “The Seeking,” Will Thomas detailed his family’s experience of moving to an all-white New England town. His essay explores how his own bigotry once shaped his beliefs.

To commemorate the ninth anniversary of his radio program, Bob Edwards decided to compose his own This I Believe essay, in which he writes about the importance of the This I Believe idea, going back to its 1950s roots, when Edward R. Murrow hosted the original incarnation of the This I Believe radio series.

When Mary Courtwright was young, she used to think courage was a quality that people were born with. But over time, as she has had to make tough life choices, she has found that courage is something quiet and steadfast, always there to help her make decisions.

Curt Columbus feels that our increasing reliance on technology is making us more isolated and less interactive with each other. By regularly visiting with neighbors, Columbus believes these small conversations and connections are the key to a vibrant democratic society.

Winter Prosapio and her family endured a series of medical and financial troubles that left them feeling broken and bruised. Ms. Prosapio called on an old family saying that gave her the strength to get through hard times.

As the former highest-ranking official in California's elementary and secondary public school system, Delaine Eastin believes that investing in children's education is not just the right thing to do, but also a patriotic necessity.

On August 28, 1963, Benita Porter went with her mother to attend the March on Washington. During Dr. King’s spellbinding message of hope, love, and the universality of mankind, she was inspired by the belief that words could arouse passion, change minds, and bring about social change.

When John Cheadle Rich was nine years old, he learned the power of comedy when he made his mother laugh during a dark time. Now, he believes that especially when life is not very funny, it's important to leave room for laughter.

When Alexxandra Shuman was in eighth grade, she was diagnosed with clinical depression. But it took more than medication for her to feel happy again. Ms. Shuman believes she has to look in the right places in order to find happiness.

Around the time Joyce Parry-Moore was faced with a diagnosis of breast cancer, she also had an opportunity to sing the Verdi Requiem with the Juneau Symphony. Ms. Parry-Moore now believes in the healing power of the music and that moment.

Once a poster-child for yuppie success with all the trimmings, Kathy Holwadel's world fell apart just when she thought she had it all. She got a divorce, her mother died, her son went to jail, and she quit her fancy career.

When Tim Gibson's late wife, Pam, was battling breast cancer, he saw how she fought for each moment. How she worked to buy time and to squeeze every last drop of joy from her life. And in the end, those precious moments paid off.

As a young boy, Kevin Myers felt outraged at being treated unfairly because of his life circumstances. However, his mother taught him an important lesson in forgiving others that he still carries with him today.

Rebecca Haynes, a former park ranger, believes that her life is made better by being part of a local community and a local environment, whether in a small town, a big city, or the wilds of the Sonoran Desert.