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I got my first bicycle when I was 8 years old and, with it, my first taste of freedom. Of course, at 3, I’d pedaled a tricycle around the backyard. I found it took more energy from my toddler legs to pedal the trike forward than it did to just run to wherever I needed […]
Brenda E. Smith, Belfast: Rare-disease diagnosis makes us truly one in a million siblings Share For the first year and a half of my life, I was the sole recipient of my mom’s and dad’s affection and adoration. From the day my brother joined our family, I was disheartened to find I would have to compete for my parents’ attention. When I turned 4 years old, I decided our family had one too many siblings. I began to plot ways to get rid of the little annoyance. A year and a half older than her brother, Brenda E. Smith has seen her relationship evolve from sibling rivalry to affection to an...
Brenda E. Smith, Belfast: Moments of rural magic Share A thick white sap oozed from the diagonal slash in the bark of the tree. Gravity gently pulled the liquid downward toward half of a coconut shell fastened to the tree trunk to collect this precious resource. I stood in the middle of a rubber tree forest in the rural inland foothills of Sri Lanka, watching intently as the plantation superintendent explained the process of latex extraction. “I found it miraculous that the white latex I saw dripping from the trees that morning could produce the sterile medical tubing that could save a lif...
Brenda E. Smith, Belfast: Reveling in gift of friendship during a Christmas far from home Share I definitely wasn’t thinking about Christmas when I took a job 3,000 miles away from my family that spring. I was eager to complete my training as a whitewater river guide, then to spend a glorious summer rafting wild and scenic rivers. It was demanding work but what bliss! When November arrived I discovered nearly all of my fellow river guides enthusiastically exchanging lifejackets for downhill skis and migrating to seasonal ski patrol jobs in the Sierra Mountains. My job, however, in addition ...
Brenda E. Smith, Belfast: Turning the tables on the family prankster Share My brother has a little unsolved mystery in his life. It has perplexed him for almost 25 years. I know the answer, but I won’t tell, and I hope you won’t either. In June 1995 he turned 40 years old. Back then, 40 was a dreaded milestone, a halfway marker in life. I wanted to surprise him in an unexpected way. I mentioned my desire to my neighbor Hannah, a diva of creativity. Immediately she signed on to be my accomplice. She had supplies and tools from her custom drapery business, and I purchased other materials we...