The approach of Fathers’ Day, heralded by ads for colorful shirts, silk ties, barbecues, and heavy duty tools, makes me think about all the fathers I know and their importance to their children. My own fathers (I had two: one biological, and one the man my mother was married to), […]
I have been trying to write this post for a month — seriously. But one thing or another would get in the way: work, family responsibilities, illness, scheduled commitments. The very subject of control seemed to attract a barrage of incoming demands, both positive and negative, as though Life wished […]
We made it to another January! Another New Year, another chance to reflect on the past, to start over, and to think fresh thoughts about the future. Of course, we have the ability to reflect, start over, and think fresh every day, but there’s something about hanging a new calendar […]
Imagine that you’re standing on the side of a highway and you suddenly notice a truck bearing down on your beloved dog and another person, who both happen to be crossing the road at the same time. You can only save one. Which do you choose, the human or the dog? […]
Suddenly realizing you’re naked while at school or work is a nightmare almost everyone has experienced. What if it really happened? Imagine recess on a clear, spring day in northern California, children running and playing in a schoolyard, shouting, kicking balls, and swarming the play structures. There I was, five […]
Missing in Action? In case you’ve been wondering — I haven’t been stranded on a desert island somewhere in the Pacific. Nor have I dropped into Alice’s rabbit hole or fled to another country. But the last few weeks have flown by at the speed of unfettered activity—exciting activity. I’ve […]
We can’t avoid it. It’s all over the news and in conversations: wars, random shootings, gang rapes, knifings and, most recently, the Boston Marathon bombings. Violence, if we are to judge by news sources, is everywhere and could even be considered “normal.” I’ve been involved in many philosophical arguments over […]
If someone were to ask you what your most important life lessons have been, what would you say? And why? The first question occurred to me recently in response to a writing prompt about losing and finding, or loss and gain. And I was surprised to discover that it was […]
What do you want to be when you grow up? Our parents asked us this question when we were quite young, and we in turn ask our children the same question. We love to hear their little voices pipe up with traditional answers: fireman, policeman, teacher, dancer, artist, nurse, or […]
My youngest son turned eighteen this week. Five days before his birthday, he left home, marking a significant turning point in both our lives—for him, the start of independence and life as an adult; for me, a sudden transition to “empty nester.” Now, I sometimes find myself standing still, looking […]
As we in the U.S. gather together with our families to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday, our thoughts turn to all the ways life is good, the loving people who surround us, and all the things we have and have access to that we have perhaps taken for granted the rest […]
Our greatest desire, greater even than the desire for happiness, is that our lives mean something. This desire for meaning is the originating impulse of story. ~ Daniel Taylor, from introduction To tell me a story. I believe that the search for meaning is what drives writers to write, painters to […]
