a church on the corner
I walked up to the church on the corner, its blue sign with neon tubes performing the simple task of identifying the building. Traffic passed by at regular intervals in phase with the stoplight. I’d…
Category: personal essays
getting back on
Today, Grace got bucked off her horse; and then she got back on again. I wouldn’t put so fine a point on this except for the fact that it’s kind of a big deal, falling…
back to school
This time of year has meant “back to school” for me since 1976, when I entered Mrs. Wright’s preschool class. Each fall since that time I’ve been back to school, either as a student, a…
long leads, small miracles
As I approached I could see the long lead stringing from Grace, semi taut like the line of a kite that was gracefully swaying across my horizon. Except it wasn’t a kite at the other…
wrappings
When you were born we wrapped you in the cotton blanket supplied by the nurse, stripes of pink and blue contingency for any gender. We swaddled you, like a burrito we said, and they told…
potential
What struck me most about Grace’s storytelling today at the university sponsored festival, and in front of about 200 other people in her session alone, was that she offers surprise. It’s not surprising that she’s…
ten years old
When I turned 40 years old, my dear friend entered my house with his luggage that had just been transported across the country, and as soon as he had set it upon the floor he…
multiples of 13
This is my teenage daughter: Anna turned 13 years old yesterday. In retrospect, this is probably a bigger life crossing for me than it is for her. I have been thinking this for a while,…
7 minutes / 5 nights of terror
Maybe NASA engineers have just never sent their kids to camp. I’m among the large following that’s very excited to see NASA’s latest endeavor to inspire our imagination and learn more about our neighborhood and…