My wife is in declutter mode, a seasonal psychological disorder similar to photosynthesis. Warming weather and increased hours of sunshine renew her fear that we will die inconveniently for our children, who will be forced to sort mountains of detritus…
‘Secretly they continue to live within us and through us’
In 2023, my two grandmothers died within six weeks of each other — January and February. During that time, I found out a dear friend had cancer. After Easter, she told me her cancer was terminal and she wasn’t interested…
A 34-year game of tag
There are some things we do early in life that probably ought to stick with us more than they do. They could vary from you to me. But I think anything that fosters playfulness, laughter and awe, and that helps…
Take more photos, make more memories
At a funeral for a 92-year-old man this week, I was struck by the family photos scrolling by in the pre-service slide show. I’ve seen hundreds of these slide shows before, but this one jumped out at me. The deceased…
‘The Ellinwood Caper’ and the spirit of nostalgic hometown Halloweens
Not too long ago, while perusing a local bookstore, I noticed a collection of macabre literature brought out just in time for All Hallows Eve. I stumbled upon a book titled Haunted Heartland. Perhaps you can imagine my surprise when…
Father’s Day reflection: Dad’s wallet was a pocket portfolio of a life lived honorably and dutifully
A Father’s Day reflection: Going through Dad’s wallet a couple years after his death was sure to carry me back. How far, I had no idea until I dove in.
Incidental contact
Packing up a house is an archaeological expedition through the layers of a life in one place, not only because of the collections of things that have to be sorted and assigned a destination, but also because of the stories…
Wait! Advent 2013
Celebrating Advent means being able to wait. Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot. But all too often the greedy eyes…