Will Thomas had planned to give up on America and move to Haiti after putting up with decades of bigotry and injustice toward African Americans. Then he decided to give the country one more chance, moving his family to an all-white town in Vermont.

Elvia Bautista was devastated when her brother was killed in a gang shooting. Now, she believes in remembering all the victims of gang violence even when doing so may endanger her own safety.

When she was young, Lauren LeBlanc had grand dreams of living in New York and singing on Broadway. Instead, she became a mom and schoolteacher in suburbia. While it’s not the life she once imagined, LeBlanc now knows she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Although he makes his living with words, poet Fred D'Aguiar is enthralled by dance: from the physicality of the art, to its powers to inspire and heal. D’Aguiar believes dance can be a source for peace, if we all join in and move to the global groove.

High school student Amelia Baxter-Stoltzfus believes in the freedom offered by semi-permanent hair dye. As much as she likes trying a new look, Baxter-Stolzfus knows there are some things worth coming back to, no matter how much her life may change.

Jennifer Thompson-Cannino was certain that Ronald Cotton was the man who raped her in 1984. But she was wrong. After 11 years in jail, DNA evidence proved Cotton’s innocence. Now, the two have a friendship based on their belief in forgiveness.

As a hospice volunteer, Mary Cook shares in the grief of others. But it was her own loss that taught her how to heal. She believes that recovering from grief requires not a battle, but surrender.

What kind of world are we leaving younger generations? Manhattan teenager Josh Rittenberg says all parents worry about their children’s futures. But he believes he and his peers will see a better world.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says he was destined to help people with HIV-AIDS. His work at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is fueled by his belief in personal responsibility to humankind.

Carol Fixman's parents taught her the importance of taking action to find solutions to life's problems. And at the end of her mother's life, Ms. Fixman put this advice to work and found that she didn't have to change the world in order to make a big difference.

When Terri Maue's father was near his death, his family was at his side, asking what they could do for him. It was then that he uttered the words that have become a deep-seated belief for Ms. Maue.

Playing cards or board games has been an important part of Pamela Rothbard's life since she was a child who was allowed to stay up past bedtime and play with the adults. Now, as a parent, playing games with her own children gives her family an opportunity to do something together and share in each other's lives.

Lying in a hospital with shrapnel and burn wounds from a Vietnam War battle, Steve Banko wasn’t sure he wanted to live. But the sounds of Christmas music helped give him reason to believe otherwise.

Like many of us, Lisa Dunlap had always heard the adage that it's better to give than to receive. But having been on the receiving end of many acts of kindness, Ms. Dunlap has come to believe that while it is indeed good to give, it's also good to receive.

Bill Reinert has been in the position of both giving and receiving customer service. He now believes that making the effort to serve the people in our lives the best that we can is a rewarding practice, whether in business or at home.

There are many ways to look at any given situation in life. William Shutkin has thought a lot about these paradoxes in our lives and how we can either be paralyzed or energized by them.

With each pecan pie and batch of molasses cookies, Emily Echols hones the baking skills she learned from her elders. Ms. Echols believes baking is an expression of love for her family.

Jim Snitker knew in high school that he wanted to serve his country by joining the military. And, while he served for 20 years in the U.S. Army, he never saw active combat. But Mr. Snitker believes that he and other Cold War veterans who trained and waited also served their country.

No gift, dinner invitation, or gesture of friendship escapes Michelle Lee’s notice. As a dedicated thank-you-note writer, Lee believes expressing gratitude is more than a social grace. It helps her fully appreciate the love and support she receives daily.

Growing up, Anna Whites moved many times, living in exotic places all around the world, but she never quite felt that she belonged in any one place. Later, when she married a man from eastern Kentucky, she found a place—and a people—where she finally knew she was home.

When Jason Howard was young, he spent many afternoons listening to his father's record collection on an RCA turntable. That was the beginning of Howard's lifelong belief that music and art are connected to the divine.

Karin Round lives at the end of an interstate off-ramp in suburban Boston, and she often finds wayward travelers on her doorstep asking for assistance. In spite of the potential dangers, Round believes it’s important to open her door and help those in need.

Zac Broken Rope has German ancestors on his mother's side of the family and a Native American heritage on his father's. But he grew up feeling that he didn't belong to either culture—until a family member taught him a lesson about his identity.

Sena Jeter Naslund knew at an early age that she loved literature. But when making a career choice, she felt she should do something good for humanity, not simply indulge her passions. One moment in a college classroom changed her perspective, though, and she realized that literature does bring good into the world.