From classical to rap, country to pop, music holds a special place in our hearts and memories. For those who make music, there are GRAMMY awards. Click the links below to hear the beliefs of these GRAMMY-Award-winning musicians.

1. A Musician of Many Cultures by Yo-Yo Ma
2. The Mountain Disappears by Leonard Bernstein
3. Music Makes Me Come Alive by Joan Tower
4. The Learning Curve of Gratitude by Mary Chapin Carpenter
5. Creating Our Own Happiness by Wayne Coyne
6. How Do You Believe In A Mystery by Loudon Wainwright III
7. Doing Things My Own Way by Bela Fleck

With Valentine’s Day approaching, pink and red flowers, cards, and candy are being sold in the name of love. As we consider all of the valentines in our lives—sweethearts, family, and even pets—this week, we are featuring a selection of essays from our book, This I Believe: On Love, that illustrate stories of the love we choose.

1. The Love I Choose
2. Deciding to Love Her
3. Love from Head to Toe
4. Love on Four Feet
5. A Walk in the Woods Together
6. The Friend Who Makes Me Complete

With Valentine’s Day approaching, this week we are featuring a selection of essays from our book, This I Believe: On Love, that illustrate the many facets of this most fundamental human emotion. Click the links below to read stories about core beliefs based on love.

1. Pennies from Heaven
2. A Walk in the Woods Together
3. What We Tried to Do
4. Swing-shift Kisses
5. The Beauty of Aging

“Family” is a great concept, but in practice it doesn’t always work in the picture-perfect version we idealize. Many times, we find that families are defined by more than blood, culture, or circumstance. Click the links below to read how these essayists built their beliefs in family.

1. My Family Tree
2. A Duty to Family, Heritage, and Country
3. The People Who Love You When No One Else Will
4. Love Lives through Them All
5. Dad’s Legacy

As the U.S. marks the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we offer a sampling of statements from essayists who were influenced by King’s work and words—both by people who witnessed his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, to those who were simply inspired by it.

1. The Power of Words
2. Finding New Pride In America
3. Dr. King’s Dream
4. This Is Our Mountaintop

Many people play games with friends and family at holiday gatherings. When we play these games, we may not be thinking any deeper than the game in front of us. But for these essayists, a game of friendly competition brings about thoughts of community, family, and even deeper philosophy. Click the links below to read how these essayists feel about playing games.

1. The Cards Will Hear You
2. A Game of Cards
3. Role-Playing Games: Where Belief Comes From
4. Scrabble Makes my Life Clear
5. My Legacy of Playing Games

We can give with our money, we can give of our time, we can give with a smile and an open heart. In this season of giving, our essayists offer their beliefs on the importance of connecting and sharing with each other. Happy holidays from This I Believe.

1. In Giving I Connect With Others
2. Here Comes (the Real) Santa Claus
3. All The Joy The World Contains
4. Why I Close My Restaurant
5. The Designated Celebrator

What makes you happy? Is it the attainment of the latest gadgets or a new, bigger car? How about getting a raise at work or winning the lottery? Does money really make us happy? Click the links below to read how these essayists feel about finding happiness with what they have.

1. Creating Our Own Happiness
2. Happy Talk
3. Make It Do
4. Just Say No
5. Happy With What I Have

Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season, with the attendant gatherings of family over food and drink. Regardless of the context, sitting down to share a meal can affirm our connections, our roots, and our traditions. Click the links below to partake of these beliefs about food and family.

1. Doing Things the Slow Way
2. Come to My Table
3. Rice for Thanksgiving
4. A Home-Cooked Tradition
5. Finding Acceptance in Macaroni and Cheese

There is perhaps no time that belief is more emphatically tested, and acted upon, than in war. For this Veterans Day, five essayists who served in the American military from World War I through the Iraq War tell how their experiences shaped their beliefs.

1. Toward a Far, Far Better World
2. Revelations on a Bomb Run
3. An Equal Place on Earth
4. Patriotic Ponderings
5. We Will See the Job Through