From the Caregiver's HAErt – a Column by Danita LaShelle Jones

Adult me would love to go back in time and stop the moment, but 7-year-old me was determined to snap what I thought was the most hilarious picture of my parents. During the summer of my eighth birthday, my parents took my sister and me to Walt Disney World. This…

With six seconds left on the clock, the Titans had one chance to clinch the title of the 2000 Super Bowl champions. As a student at Fisk University in Nashville, I’d quickly become a fan of the Tennessee Titans. Because the school’s campus was seven minutes from the stadium, it…

When stealing $150 million from some of the world’s most famous casinos, Danny Ocean knew the plan needed to be meticulous. In 2001’s iteration of “Ocean’s Eleven,” George Clooney’s character enacts revenge on one of his enemies by robbing the Bellagio, the Mirage, and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Every adventure or fighter video game has the ultimate level. It doesn’t matter if it’s something as complicated as Isshin in Sekiro, as pattern-based as facing off with Mike Tyson in Punch-Out!!, or as timing-intensive as defeating Bowser in Super Mario Bros.; video games with boss levels test skill, persistence,…

In “The Butterfly Effect,” the character played by Ashton Kutcher learns that attempting to avoid negative situations doesn’t necessarily lead to better outcomes. Dissatisfied with the circumstances in his life, he discovers that when he reads his childhood journals, he can travel back in time and inhabit his younger self’s…

In the seventh season of the longest-running U.S. animated series, “The Simpsons,” Homer’s bosses at the town nuclear plant attempt to implement a mandatory exercise program to promote a healthier lifestyle among the employees. As any casual viewer of the show might predict, Homer, a character known for his knack…

Years before my mother passed away, she shared with me the “secret” recipe for her savory Thanksgiving dressing. Although the recipe has multiple steps, it’s very simple. Like most traditional African American recipes passed down through families, the bulk of it doesn’t use exact measurements. There is one step that…

“We don’t really care if they can’t read,” the post on Threads read. “Just make sure they have basic self-help skills.” The sentiment was from a kindergarten teacher trying to calm a worried parent because the parent was concerned their kid hadn’t quite mastered their letters. Soon, other kindergarten and…

Even if I’d had a smartphone, my sister would’ve been way more compelling to watch. Years ago, while my sister, Gina, was on break from medical school, our mom, dad, she, and I had to take a road trip for a family reunion. Because I was still in high school…

It was one of the most beautiful and respectful corrections I’d ever seen as a child. The details are fuzzy because it happened over 35 years ago, and I don’t remember the circumstances of the moment. What I do remember is that an older woman, somewhat familiar with my family,…