Lessons Learned – His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral

How to Stay Married for Twenty-Five Years

In April of this coming year, Lauren and I will have been married for twenty-five years. How have we done it? I’m glad you asked. Conversations like the following reveal how. Tuesday night, I had school committee business to present to the Halifax Board of Selectmen. Lauren volunteered to drive Graham to the church forContinue reading “How to Stay Married for Twenty-Five Years”

Our House Is Run by Fairies

Our house is run by mildly competent fairies. When the soap is running low in a bathroom, people announce that we need the soap fairy to visit since the humans can’t possibly refill it themselves. When the toilet paper is low, people call for the toilet paper fairy. Paper towels? Paper towel fairy. Butter inContinue reading “Our House Is Run by Fairies”

Departure Day

At Salt Lake City International airport this week, and it was departure day for a big batch of missionaries leaving the missionary training center and heading to all parts of the world. I was in line with about twenty of them at Cafe Rio. I texted Lauren: when did we start sending twelve-year-olds on missions?Continue reading “Departure Day”

The Day of the Dead

My senior English teacher, Ms. Koepsel [kep suhl], made my class memorize the following Emily Dickinson poem: They say that ‘time assuages’ —Time never did assuage —An actual suffering strengthensAs Sinews do, with age — Time is a Test of Trouble —But not a Remedy —If such it prove, it prove tooThere was no Malady.Continue reading “The Day of the Dead”

The Beautiful Game

Soccer is simple for kids, right? Kick the ball into the other team’s goal and stop them from kicking it into yours. So they sign Grant up for soccer at age five. Grant has always been big, and he appears to be seven years old and playing with runts. Which would be to his advantageContinue reading “The Beautiful Game”

We Don’t Know What the Next World Will Be Like

It is early afternoon. The man sits on a kitchen chair next to his father. His father pushes a button, and the train begins to run around the long oval track. “I love trains. Your mother got this for me as a very early Christmas present so I could enjoy it longer.” It has beenContinue reading “We Don’t Know What the Next World Will Be Like”