Dear Olivia, Happy Birthday! You are such a lovely person. You were born at such a lovely time of the year, too (I’ve long maintained that September 15th through October 15th is the best month of the year!). Still, the … Continue reading
Dear Cor, Happy Birthday! You happen to be entering your teens just as the 21st Century is leaving its teens behind (with that one stubborn vestige of COVID-Nineteen hanging on for old time’s sake). What a time to be coming … Continue reading
Our family left Amsterdam on July 10, 2012. It’s crazy to look back at the group portrait of the friends who came to see us off at the airport. We arrived in Cleveland later that same day. And there, too, … Continue reading
I just finished reading Neil Gaiman’s book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It was suggested to me over a month ago by my friend Mark. But I had to wait a month until one of our library’s copies was … Continue reading
The word “Ding” was written in black Sharpie on a silver piece of duct tape. The tape stuck immediately above a doorbell. And the doorbell was installed immediately above the walk-up window to Marsha’s Diner. My kids and I were … Continue reading
In 1999, we didn’t have much money. But we wanted to do something special to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. So we booked one night at a Bed & Breakfast in Ohio Amish Country, and we made an adventure of … Continue reading
Elliot gave a speech for his high school commencement ceremony from our Living Room this morning. We recorded it on a smartphone and then uploaded to Google Drive for review by a teacher. If approved (and selected from other submissions), … Continue reading
The campus of Kent State University is lifeless. At nine o’clock on a Thursday morning, Risman Plaza should be overwhelmed with pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders, protesters, recruiters — possibly even swordsmen (the live-action role-playing kind). Especially in the last week of … Continue reading
Dear Elliot, Happy Birthday! It’s a weird birthday, with everyone ordered to shelter-in-place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, I’m praying that it can somehow be a Happy Birthday. You’ve brought so much happiness to my life over these last … Continue reading
It’s that time of the year for retrospection. After posting my Top Ten Songs of 2019, Top Ten Books of 2019, Top Ten Hikes of 2019, and Top Ten Ministry Moments of 2019, I thought that I would conclude my lists with looking back … Continue reading