Young Jackson James is only forty-two days old, but he’s already made quite an impact. If his arrival was anything like David, Elizabeth, and Michael’s, you understand the meaning of love at first sight like no other time in your life. He wasn’t here a moment ago, and now he is. Your life has changed …
Category: Family
Family Photos
About a month ago I destroyed my wallet by going swimming with it still in my pocket. I tried to dry it out over the course of a couple of days but finally decided to invest in a new one. I dried out the contents, and everything was salvageable. When I was a child, my …
Bulletin!!! Just in – Breaking News!!!
If you were expecting to read the final chapter of my fable about Rozlyn Heart this morning, you may be disappointed. If you were watching TV right now, exciting news would be scrolling across the bottom of your screen. If you were listening to your radio, the broadcast would be interrupted with “Breaking News!”. As …
Forty-Four Years
When Ruth and I started talking about having children, she wanted two and I wanted three. Biology determined our final count. We’re both happy how things worked out. We were four and a half years into being married before David was born. Two years later, Elizabeth Kathryn made her appearance on March 10, 1977. Ruth’s …
The Countdown
Magnus Strongbeard is due the 29th of this month. We’ve started counting down the days. If you’re a parent, you know due dates are merely estimates based on data provided by the prospective mother in consultation with her doctor. The doctor in turn conducts a series of examinations, does sonogram screenings, blood and urine tests, …
Buckle Up Buttercup
The first time I cried in public was the year I served as president of our teacher’s union. We were having a difficult time in negotiations and union leadership was attempting to gather support among the teachers to cease volunteering for things. We wanted everyone to arrive and depart school as required – nothing more …
Christmas 2021
We just finished Christmas 2020, and I’m already looking forward to Christmas 2021. In spite of all the turmoil, I’ve enjoyed this crazy season. David and his family were here for a few days, and Ruth cooked Christmas dinner for three Michigan friends whose families are up north while we reside in Florida. Everyone is …
A Christmas Miracle
Back in the day Elizabeth wrapped all my Christmas presents. This was after Santa Claus and pre-Sutton. She like doing it, and I appreciated her completing a task I wasn’t very good at. I was ten thumbs and she was precision. It was a perfect match. The first couple of years after her move to …
Christmas Cards
When I graduated from college in 1969 I decided it was time to send my own Christmas cards. It sounded like a grown-up thing to do. I bought something manly. I avoided cards that featured poinsettias or Christmas trees. No pictures of wrapped packages, Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or mistletoe …
Bouquets and Garter Belts
My mom and dad’s seventy-fifth wedding anniversary was yesterday. I expect they danced in heaven, and after they danced they probably played cards with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Harry. There was undoubtedly a big dinner (Dad would have insisted.) with the whole extended family to celebrate this diamond jubilee. And after that they – …