If you know my family history, you’re aware I’ve only been a parent since 2018. Well, I was a stepdad until 2023, when I adopted my wife’s daughter Lauren, making it legally, in the words of the judge who signed the paperwork and presided over the lovely ceremony that took place in the courtroom, as […]
I’m substituting today in a sophomore English classs. In preparation for reading John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, we’re watching a video on the history of pearls. While the students watch and fill out a study guide, I have some time to myself. Happily, these kids are terrific, so I can do some writing. And so here we […]
I’m not sure if I’m unique in this, but I see autumn, along with its counterpart, spring, as less seasons themselves and more as transitions leading to the “main” seasons of summer and winter. I guess I feel this way because they are less extreme than the times they lead into. Fall ushers in the […]
Last week, I posted the first half of a story I wrote a while back entitled, “Gifts Ungiven.” If you haven’t read part one, this won’t make sense, so go back to my previous post and read that before you start this one. Here’s the ending I promised. Hope you like it! Let me know […]
Several years back, I wrote a story about a kid who, much like myself, was really shy around girls, especially ones on whom he had a crush. It was actually published in the now defunct ClutchMOV. I read back through it and don’t hate it as much as I used to, so I thought it […]
I grew up with a secret ambition to become Santa Claus. I think it all started with a shockingly realistic dream in which I discovered a secret portal to the North Pole in the back of my brother’s closet. As an adult, I’ve enjoyed the times I’ve had a chance to play the jolly old […]
This truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I’ve felt that way since my childhood. I often joke I grew up in a Norman Rockwell painting, but I’m only half kidding. Did our family have it’s quirks? Sure. But did I ever, even for a second, question whether I was loved and safe? […]