I took a break from working the other day to look out the window. The street was empty, everyone quarantined in their homes. I couldn’t help but think about the year we’ve had. If I had looked at the street one year ago, I would have expected to see people out-and-about, going on with their …
Report cards: What not to say
I should have read the room better. If I had, I would have known to keep my mouth shut. My daughter pulled out her elementary school report card. She had been working hard over the past two months after a tough start to the year and sat with me on the sofa excited to see …
Favorite movie lines
From mid-November to late December in my house, the Hallmark Channel with Christmas love story after Christmas love story is on pretty much nonstop. My wife and daughter love them, they can’t get enough of them. I’m a Christmas softee, so I must admit that I'll pull up a chair and watch for a few …
If our pets could talk
Our family dog, Nittany, a Lhasa Apso – Bichon Frise mix, looked up at me with drowsy eyes from her perch on our bed. Before I got up and got a shower and got started with my work day, I rubbed behind Nittany's ears and up and down her belly. Nittany, who is now 11, …
Doing it all wrong
My wife walked into our kitchen and gave me a questioning look, the kind of look every husband knows all too well. I could tell I was in trouble. I had pots and pans scattered across the stove and had made a general mess of the room. My wife put down her phone, taking in …
Here comes the sun!
The dew shimmered like little diamonds as the grass caught the early morning sun. For the briefest of moments, I considered stepping out of my car and running my hands across the ground since the "diamonds" looked big enough to sweep up into my bare hands. I had driven my wife to an early morning …
Finding some inspiration
Is anyone else having a tough week? I've been there before. Once when I was a kid, I was having a particularly tough week. I’m not sure what was going on, maybe a test or two, possibly something at home, who knows? When I let my frustration come out during basketball practice, my coach, the …
Something we can all get behind
The anger and vitriol across U.S. has been high in recent weeks. The election, the state of race relations, and Covid have all been a drain. I’ve been pretty vocal about how I will vote on Tuesday, but my hope remains that, whatever the result, America will be able to stand together and support our …
Unanswered prayers
I put the phone down and lightly banged my fist against my head. My wife and I were newly married and I was up for a new job that would mean more money and, if we pinched our pennies right, could help speed up our bid to buy our first home. Unfortunately, though, the newspaper …
Through the eyes of a teacher
When my kids were young, they loved to listen to children’s entertainers like the Wiggles, the gang from Sesame Street, VeggieTales, Raffi, and Joe Scruggs. They loved the silly, upbeat music and crazy performances. The music was so well loved in our house that our daughter wanted us to call 9-1-1 when we somehow inadvertently …
