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Stories to inspire you.

It's that time of year when students are stocking up on number two pencils and parents are breathing a sigh of relief–school is starting! But while moms and dads may have it easier with kids back in school all day, this is the busy season for teachers and principals like Muskegon's Glenside Elementary School Principal Diane Aamondt. Diane coordinates early education in her building like head start, pre-kindergarten, and the Great Start Readiness Program, as well as a special education program. Fitting together the pieces of the school-day puzzle is what Diane loves and moves her closer to the ultimate goal–making sure her students are getting the best of the best.

The wind is seesawing their boat side to side as the sound of loud ripping indicates a decimated sail. Lighting cracks feet from where they float, throwing quick, hot, flames of fire even closer to their worried faces. With all secured on deck, the family lowers the hatch and sits together, murmuring prayers for safety and solace. When the rain subsides and they drag themselves to the mainland, others inform them that the storm threw more than two thousand bolts of lighting into the sea where their boat was barely holding anchor. It's times like these that Emily Granger knows there is something bigger than herself guiding each breath she takes.

Raised in a family with a physician for a dad and a nurse for a mother, Abby Rogers knows a lot about career dedication and fitting that loyalty into family life. In fact, she's living the lesson everyday as a physician's assistant for surgical oncology at Advantage Health/Saint Mary's Medical Group, not to mention her roles as wife and mother. But what makes Abby uniquely attuned to the importance of balance is her husband Jason's fourteen-year career in the Army National Guard. With two small children and two huge careers, time and energy is is premium in the Rogers house. But with patience and understanding, Abby is waking up each day with a full schedule but a joyful heart.

You recognize her face from WZZM 13, but do you know the story behind West Michigan's beloved TV anchor Juliet Dragos? The Pittsburgh native chose Grand Rapids specifically because of it's non-stop flight back to her hometown, but in the twenty-one years she has been living and working here, she can say without a doubt that she is in love with West Michigan.

Starla Daniels wears the phrase, "It's all good," on her sleeve. Well, technically, it's tattooed on the back of her neck, but the meaning is the same. She takes one day at a time as a chance to dive deeper into the purpose of life, and inspires other women to do the same.

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