It is 9 pm. He is still in his white shirt and suit pants but has removed his tie. He sits in the dimly lit kitchen of their 800 square foot condo. Before him are two piles—on the left are the unedited pages and on the right are the reedited pages. He messed up theContinue reading “Now They Always Say Congratulations”
Author Archives: Gordon Laws
An Assignment in School
The man is just getting off a work call when Graham approaches him. “Dad, they gave me an assignment in school to write six sentences about why I love my dad.” “Yeah?” “I can’t think of anything, so I am writing I. Love. My. Dad. Very. Much.” “Thanks, pal.”
Raise Your Sons Not to be Delinquents
The man has heard a report on NPR that boys who do home projects with their dads have much lower rates of juvenile delinquency. Grant is two. It is Saturday. He has exhausted his mom by being himself all week. So today, the man will do projects with him to give his mother a restContinue reading “Raise Your Sons Not to be Delinquents”
No Man Knows My History, Not Even Me
They are eating Thanksgiving dinner, and a girl from his mission—the girl he will marry five months later—is sitting next to him and across from his mother. “So my mom is not like other moms. Most moms don’t want their kids in football but mine made me play football.” “Really?” “Yeah. Seventh grade. My momContinue reading “No Man Knows My History, Not Even Me”
I Have Graven Thee Upon My Elbow
They have a bucket of thirty baseballs, and they carry it, their home plate, two bats, and gloves to the park. The park has a backstop. His mother walks out paces to where a pitcher’s mound should be. He plays catch with her until their arms are warm. Then she pitches to him, ball afterContinue reading “I Have Graven Thee Upon My Elbow”
I Will Come to You
The man is standing at the door to the chapel greeting people as they wander in. He has already held bishopric and ward council and has been at the church since 6:45 am. Today, his smiles are weak, and his gaze is far off. It has been eighteen months since his father’s death. Five daysContinue reading “I Will Come to You”
About My Stories
All the stories I post are short-shorts of incidents that have happened, as best as I can remember them. My memory of these, of course, has shifted over time, and what they mean to me has shifted as well. I do not write or post them in order mostly because once an experience is internalized,Continue reading “About My Stories”
The Greatest Joy in Parenting
The TV is on, and the boy is sitting in an easy chair. His father is rocking in his favorite rocking chair. Ruthanne races down the hall from the kitchen. “Hey! You were supposed to be in the bath!” She ignores their father and keeps running. “Get back here now!” She comes back into theContinue reading “The Greatest Joy in Parenting”
Where There is No Vision
His cell rings and he is annoyed because she should have left the preschool right behind him but still isn’t home. He doesn’t even say hello. “What are you doing? You shoulda been—” “Be quiet and listen for a minute. We were in an accident.” Twenty minutes later, they are at the jagged intersection nextContinue reading “Where There is No Vision”
How to Teach Your Children the Plan of Salvation
“I have some sad news.” His son is six, his first daughter four, his second daughter two. “What’s the matter?” “Dorothy the fish has died.” “Oh. Can we get a cat now?” “Wait. Do you have any questions about what happened to Dorothy and where she is now?” “No. Do you think mom will letContinue reading “How to Teach Your Children the Plan of Salvation”
The Living and the Dead, by Gordon Laws 