I recently viewed an incredible video. Produced by the BBC and part of a nature series entitled Life Story, the short film follows the harrowing descent of a barnacle gosling from its nest high up in the cliffs of eastern Greenland. Barnacle geese build their nests hundreds of feet up to avoid predators such as Arctic … Continue reading My Family’s Leap Of Faith Into The Future

Today I started walking for exercise. Not because I want to lose weight (although it would be nice). Not because my cholesterol is too high (it is). Not because my doctor told me I should (he did). I’m walking because in 10 short months my daughter is leaving for college, and my nest will be … Continue reading I’m Walking To Remember

Today my daughter told me she is grateful for me. To be honest, I think there is nothing more I would rather hear my child say. I know she loves me. I know she cares about me. I know I occasionally make her happy. And hearing any one of these things would surely make my … Continue reading Grateful

My children are 17 and 20. I am (most of the time) fairly content with how they’ve turned out. And I can honestly tell you: I’ve been both a permissive parent and an authoritarian parent. I’ve been their best friend. And they’ve occasionally loathed me. As for lawnmower, helicopter and snowplow? Check, check and check. … Continue reading The Only Title I Ever Wanted

A little over a year ago we dropped our son off at the train station for his return trip to college after winter break. When I came back home I discovered my son had left dozens of sweet notes behind for me to find. They were in the cabinets, drawers and even the coffee machine. … Continue reading A Soggy Message

This is a photo of my two big kids. Over the years they have had their share of disagreements and squabbles. I know for sure they’ve often irritated one another. These two young adults are very different people, they always have been. And I’ve sometimes worried about the strength of their sibling bond. Then this … Continue reading Sharing Their Whole Heart

My college son has been home for a few days on spring break. And in that time he’s mostly been in the house—sleeping, watching way too many YouTube videos, completing some homework. So yesterday we decided to get out for a bit, and we made our way to the local mall. There we shopped for … Continue reading An Extraordinary Slice Of Pizza

This is my daughter in her happy place. The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. Two million gallons of water and 17,000 animals representing over 750 species. Turtles, eels, a giant Pacific octopus, stingrays, puffins and blue poison dart frogs. She loves them all. She can tell you all about the feeding habits of the shark, … Continue reading I Hope She Finds Peace

My 17-year-old daughter and I have spent every weekend for the past month shopping for a dress for her high school junior prom. She is, at heart, a sweatshirts and jeans sort of young woman. So, as you can imagine, these forays into every local store and nearby mall have not been the highlight of … Continue reading The Epitome Of Bold

We just took our youngest child, our only daughter, on her first college tour. But this is not my first rodeo. I went through this process with my son a couple of years ago. I know what to expect. Except apparently I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t expect things to feel so … Continue reading The Enormity Of This Moment