Elements within the essay’s:

Enlightenment, Hope, Faith, determination and change in personal beliefs.

Some elements I noticed while reading all the selected essay’s were faith in a greater power and hope for a better cause, always looking for change not only in themselves but in other people’s thoughts.  People realized that life is not only all about themselves but rather the whole as a group.  They began to see enlightenment and saw life very differently due to their tragic experiences , whether it was a loss of a child or husband, they realized that life went on and that there are other people out there who are willing to sacrifice thier time to help them through their problems.  I think these reading’s were meant to have true meaning to a person no matter what situation they are going through within their lives, for example, there was a ladie who was dirt poor all she had was a limited amount of money and a truck, she found herself shelter and a new home with people who could give her emotional support until she was ready to go back.  She learned to face her problems rather than just run away from them, she learned to accept reality.  All of the stories dealt with people and their everyday live challenges, each situation was different but there was a common theme amongst them, which is, Hope.  In every story there was difficult times but also the strong will of hope prevailed over everything.