One of my Dad’s favorite stories he loved to retell was about my brother and me. We had just finished eating at a restaurant, maybe a Luby’s or a Furr’s, and Stephen and I went out ahead of my parents. When Dad got through the door, we were ahead of him on the sidewalk vigorouslyContinue reading “My Childhood Is Now Antique Apparently”
Tag Archives: Fathers
Tuesdays and Thursdays with Mort and Bill
I was probably ten years old when I started bringing the paper in regularly, opening it on the coffee table, and pulling it apart to read. My early interests were the sports section, but I voraciously read all our cereal boxes, shampoo labels, the jackets of cassette tapes, and just about anything else with words.Continue reading “Tuesdays and Thursdays with Mort and Bill”
How Lauren Married My Dad and Other Musings on My Dad’s Birthday
Today is my father’s birthday making him seventy-five in mortal years. He passed away sixteen years ago, so in immortal years, I don’t know . . . I guess he’s eternal. In the eternities, do we even have birthdays? We shouldn’t, right, being without beginning or end? If everything past, present, and future is continuallyContinue reading “How Lauren Married My Dad and Other Musings on My Dad’s Birthday”
We Are a House Divided
I’m sure most of you read these posts and think, Well, if that’s the worst of it for them, things must be pretty awesome. But of course, no one tells the truth on social media, and the oldest true crime trope is, They were so normal and nice! Who could have guessed they would allContinue reading “We Are a House Divided”
Click Bait, Starring Lindsay Laws
Lindsay is wrestling and studying to be a physician’s assistant at Lock Haven University. But clearly, she has backup plans if those pathways don’t work out. Being a TikTok star, for example. The other day, Lindsay posted this video on her TikTok account and instantly racked up hundreds of views. That set off mild paroxysmsContinue reading “Click Bait, Starring Lindsay Laws”
That’s Not What He Wanted to Cook
Sunday was the statewide indoor relays—all relays, no individual events. Graham was assigned to the distance medley relay, as were three other freshmen. A team stacked with four freshmen is not likely to be a main contender, and indeed, they were seeded twenty-first in the field and put in the slow heat. The medley relayContinue reading “That’s Not What He Wanted to Cook”
Runner’s High
At my last job, one of our practices was sports analytics. We did cognitive and personality evaluations of athletes for professional and NCAA teams. At one point, I had done hundreds of semantic analyses that gave us Big Five reads of players, and I had seen a pretty consistent pattern emerge among wide receivers atContinue reading “Runner’s High”
Dear Lauren, You Were Right
Before we dive into the meat of today’s story, let’s start with a short quiz. In the Laws household, who loaded the dishwasher in the manner seen in the photo? (a) Gordon(b) Lauren(c) Graham(d) Dobby Correct answer and at the end. Well, today is tough to write. We evaluated the weather last night and decidedContinue reading “Dear Lauren, You Were Right”
Days of Rage and Redemption
Yesterday was a day of rage and redemption. Across the land, the country was divided—howls of lamentation on the one hand; jeers, cheers, and joy on the other. And then, a level of symmetric justice was dealt, and balance was restored in the universe. Of course, I am not speaking of the Iowa caucuses norContinue reading “Days of Rage and Redemption”
The Greatest Thing Is Sliced Bread
When I was a kid, my mother ground wheat once a week in this huge, loud machine, then used the flour to make seven loaves of whole wheat bread. As an obnoxious child, I found this ordinary and boring, and I always wanted white Butterkrust bread from the store. My Grandma Hill, who lived withContinue reading “The Greatest Thing Is Sliced Bread”
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 