One year ago today, you were the cutest new year’s date. We took the dog for a walk in the afternoon, on a hill overlooking downtown. Afterward, we went home and popped the tops off a couple bottles – prosecco for me, formula for you. We cuddled and watched something on Netflix; I don’t remember …
Without a doubt, you are the person who taught me the most this year. Not a day passes where I don’t think, wonder or worry about you. In late January, I was licensed as a foster parent, and you came along about ten days later. With three hours’ notice, I opened the door to you …
“If you hear anyone say this happened because of performance, that statement is wrong and you should correct it.” Our department’s vice-president said something like this to those of us who remained last week, where “this” referred to a significant round of lay-offs. If you saw my last blog post (inspired by several employers, including mine), you …
Several weeks ago, I was doing daycare drop-off and saw a young girl getting out of her dad’s car. It was 7:22 am and she was eating two corndogs. I immediately thought, “Good for you, dude. Mornings are hard.” I also thought, “If that’s allowed in parenting, maybe I’m doing okay.” I became foster parent …
Yesterday, my family celebrated my Grandma's life, and below is a copy of the eulogy I shared. From a "maybe there's more" perspective, the excerpt I'm trying to hold onto is that perhaps we’d all be better people if we channeled the attitudes of grandparents who have managed past the harder parts of raising kids …
I once stayed a few months in a Tanzanian city called Mwanza. I’d spent most of a year trying to find ethical volunteer opportunities overseas. In the process, I’d learned that was a mostly-impossible task, at least for someone without relevant training/skills. That conclusion was one of the reasons I eventually pursued a master’s degree …
Six years ago, I almost lost my brother. I had just arrived in Barbados for a vacation and my mom phoned. If you’ve ever received a call where you know something is wrong before a word is spoken, you know the feeling I had when answering the phone. Kyle had been ambulanced from the side …
I’m unsure about ghosts. Do they exist? Maybe. Do they not exist? Maybe. But I do romanticize connections — or what some people might call coincidences. A couple of years ago, for example, I was meant to be on vacation but was instead overthinking and over-worrying a work problem. While I was fussing, I set …
When we told our grandpa we planned to get married one day, we weren’t much older than in the above photo. Grandpa responded that cousins aren’t allowed to get married, and I remember feeling perplexed. Why wouldn’t I be allowed to marry this boy, when playing together was one of the best parts of my …
A few birthdays ago, a friend gave me a letterboard. More recently, I decorated my house for Christmas and changed the sign to read “Merry & Bright,” as seen in this photo. I didn’t think much about choosing the phrase. It seemed like an appropriate – maybe even cute – addition to a light-up signboard, …
Maybe There's More 