Category: Be Brave

I have a special friend who comes to nearly every Bison basketball game. I can always count on him to be waiting near the locker room to greet the players, but he’ll leave his post when he sees me, and that’s always my favorite part of the night. He wraps his arms around me in a hug that allows me ... Read More

A few weeks ago I got a last-minute invitation to attend an annual event called “Pray for Gray.”

Julie Fletcher began the foundation and the fundraiser as a way to provide hope and support for brain tumor patients and their families.

The project is dear to Julie’s heart. Doctors found a pear-sized tumor on Julie’s right frontal lobe after she suffered an ... Read More

Do you want to know what terrifies me? The thought of 350 children in a gym with me in charge.

That is exactly the scenario I was faced with a few weeks ago at Longfellow Elementary in Fargo.

The principal called and asked if I would be willing to speak at an all-school assembly on the importance of kindness. I was so ... Read More

Get a daily dose of inspiration from Nicole at facebook.com/nicolejphillips.

When I worked on TV, my husband always said I considered it a job well done if I could make people at home laugh while I was delivering the news.

Now that I write for the paper, he is accusing me of trying to make people cry.

The other day, Aug. 24 to ... Read More

Get a Daily Dose of Inspiration from Nicole each morning on Facebook! Visit www.facebook.com/nicolejphillips.

I love college football. No, that’s a lie. I love being in a stadium surrounded by all the fanfare that goes with college football. The actual game, I could take or leave.

There are lots of opportunities to cheer on your favorite team today. The ... Read More

Acts of kindness are often like little miracles that appear just when you don’t know where to turn or what to do next.

I’d like to share with you several inspirational stories I’ve received from people who are so grateful kindness is contagious.

“I had left my daughter’s home in Wisconsin and was driving back to North Dakota. I stopped at a ... Read More

I recently received an email that immediately took my heart back to this time last year. School had just started, and my family was all caught up in the fun of anticipating a season of changes.

One of the changes we hadn’t anticipated was the loss of the smallest, furriest member of our family. Robby Dog was a 12-year-old Shih Tzu, ... Read More

On Monday, my husband and I will celebrate our anniversary. The fact that we’ve been married for 13 years kind of blows me away.

In my mind, I’m still 28, so that would mean I got married when I was 15. Can you see how the math plays tricks on me?

When I married my husband, I adored him. I was in ... Read More

I grew up in a little town in Wisconsin that I remember being filled with kind people and a sense of security.

But for some reason, the kids in my town, including me, couldn’t wait to get out. We would dream of the day we could move to Chicago or Minneapolis or somewhere just far enough away to be able to ... Read More

I feel worn out. Part of the problem is that I’ve just driven 10 hours in a minivan with three small children and one large dog. The other part of the problem is that I’ve been thinking too much.

My family spent the last two weeks in Wisconsin visiting “The Cousins.”

My kids adore their cousins. My sister-in-law, brother-in-law and their three ... Read More