Sister Lucy Bonifas, 78, prepares a bouquet of flowers grown in her backyard before delivering them to the chapel of Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, where she worked from 1969 until April 2016. Though she recently retired, Sister Lucy, a member of Sisters of Saint Francis, still visits the hospital every week to deliver fresh flowers and talk to patients. “God speaks to me through flowers,” says Sister Lucy. “He suprises me with his gifts, with the beauty and love he brings.” |Skyler Ballard

Hobo, a shetland sheepdog up for adoption at the McCracken County Humane Society, introduces himself to Coy Stalions. |Skyler Ballard

Jamey Ward, 45, in his trailer in Paducah, Ky. on Oct. 22, 2016. A retiree of the river barges, Ward is now an alcoholic who spends most time at home surrounded by beer cans. Fights often break out between himself and his friends as they search for money to buy beers.| Gabriel Scarlett

Justin Griffith, 27, kisses his youngest son, Lucas, in his front yard in Farley, an area of Paducah, Ky. nicknamed “Farlem” for its low income demographic. Justin is a young father taking bible classes through the mail to become a pastor. Two of his boys are his fiancŽe’s sons. “It’s one of the great feelings in this world when they started calling me dad,” he explains. “Not something I made them do so when they first called me that, my heart just melted.”| Gabriel Scarlett

When President Donald J. Trump announced an executive order, banning legal visitors from 7 Muslim majority countries, Elnaz Jalali was faced with the decision to sacrifice her dream or to be separated from her family living in Iran. “After 5 years staying in the U.S., investing my money, my time, my energy and my knowledge over here, if I wake up one day and someone says: ‘what you did over here is done and you should go back home.’” Jalali said. Jalali is in her final semester studying for a masters in chemistry but hoped to pursue a doctorate post graduation. “I’m terrified it doesn’t end here. Imagine for five years I won’t be able to go back home to visit my parents and my parents won’t be able to come here. I can’t live without my parents,” Jalali said. |Alyse Young

Brandon Scurlock opens the piercing pliers for Gary Fralick during a bighorn sheep wrangle near Big Piney Jan. 25, 2017. Wyoming Game & Fish Department are putting radio collars on bighorn sheep to track where they stay for the winter. |Ashley Cooper

On his senior night in high school Pancake Thomas jumped up and cut open his arm on the backboard. Since then Thomas went on to play two seasons at the University of New Mexico then transferring to the University of Hartford and playing one season there. Thomas has averaged 13.5 points a game since joining the Hilltoppers earlier this year. |Shaban Athuman