Knives and Dolls

My wife’s grandfather died Wednesday.  I’ve watched her say goodbye to him slowly for the last three years.  Several nights before he passed, the hospice nurse reported hearing a soft voice singing throughout the night.  The nurse shared the story with Frank’s wife, Millie, the next morning.  Millie put in a CD that the nurse [...]

Holding Out for a Hero

I used to do push-ups to the 1984 Footloose soundtrack, specifically “Holding Out for a Hero”.  Just before bed, I threw the cassette in my Walkman and let the dreams flow of buzzer beater three-pointers and entire high school gymnasiums chanting my name.  Last week my hard work paid off, and my dreams came true.  [...]

For Better and Worse

Black stains adorn my hands as I type.  No metaphor there.  I pulled into Panera this morning on my way to my first class of the semester: Marital Life Cycle.  I sat down with my coffee and pulled out my journal.  Forty-five uninterrupted minutes to eat, pray, and love pray, think, and write.  Did I [...]