When Jasson Howell Sr. received a mandatory 10-year federal prison sentence for heroin distribution, his family shared his punishment. Two of his four children went to live with his parents, who have worked tirelessly to raise their grandchildren while remaining connected to their son. Kim and Dale Howell share their Brief But Spectacular take on keeping their family together.

The pandemic has created immense challenges for people around the world. In Malawi, an extremely poor country in southern Africa, the situation is complicated by the fact that many residents don’t have access to services and supplies that Americans tend to take for granted. Nonprofit worker Gertrude Kabwazi shares her Brief But Spectacular take on working to break Malawi’s cycle of poverty.

The pressure on doctors, nurses and other health care professionals has been constant throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Tara Rynders, a registered nurse in Colorado, has created an arts-based workshop designed to alleviate the stress and compassion fatigue that many medical providers experience. Rynders shares her Brief But Spectacular take on caring for those who care for us.

Throughout the pandemic, Americans in elder care facilities have been at a high risk of contracting COVID-19. But there are also those residents of nursing homes who have survived the disease in spite of their age. Centenarian Grace Weissman-Spiegel-Davis is one of those. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on her spectacular, but not brief, life.