Prayer. It isn't a time to tell God how to do things, but my stomach clenches at one line – thy will be done. God's solutions can be tough. I was a painfully quiet child. "We were afraid if the house caught fire, you wouldn't find the gumption to tell us," says my father. Quiet. Skinny. I was one of the kids bullies homed in on. I'd duck my head and pray. "Send someone to stick up for me." A lot of things weren't fun, but I loved school. School is where I excelled. I was smart. High school was even better, because I was in classes with the rest of the nerd herd. It was a good place for a quiet kid. Read next feature >