Issues with my mother continue to occupy me but, stimulated by situations which my friends are experiencing, my thoughts have recently turned away from mothers and to fathers. In all honesty, pondering fatherhood feels a lot less angsty to me, especially now with my mother’s poor health and my own conflicted sense of responsibility and … Continue reading Daddy. Complex.
Category: family
CivMix Recap – January ‘22 edition
There’s nothing like looking back on a couple of months of writing to remind me of the active life I lead. Check out the links below for ideas and inspiration for your own recreational activities. Winter would be a wonderful season to hike up Overlook Mountain - no rattlesnakes and views for miles. Successfully navigating … Continue reading CivMix Recap – January ‘22 edition
Bitches Brew, or the women in my life
2021 was a weird one, friends. The promise with which it began quickly devolved into chaos within the new year’s first week. Things after that, to me, never quite seemed real. Seriously, on more than one occasion, I caught myself dating correspondence or banking paperwork as the previous year, 2020. It was almost as … Continue reading Bitches Brew, or the women in my life
The joys of parenting
Often, it seems, at least in dysfunctional families, that folks approach parenting with the goal of being the antithesis of their own parents. The less similar to the preceding generation we are, the better things are for all involved. Trust me. My parenting goals were few, beyond raising good humans. Of course, I hoped my … Continue reading The joys of parenting
Punching Bag
Perhaps you remember the post I wrote about Rex Ogle’s memoir Free Lunch. That book centered on the year Rex was in 6th grade and detailed the physical, verbal and emotional abuse he suffered while living as a child with his mother, stepfather and younger brother. While I’ve never been physically abused, the book landed … Continue reading Punching Bag
Keeping it together as the Beatles fall apart
I’ve been binging on Peter Jackson’s documentary series, Get Back, about the Beatles and it really couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s the kind of show, in my opinion, that doesn’t require acute attention and that’s kind of where I am at present. The project most certainly was a labor of love for … Continue reading Keeping it together as the Beatles fall apart
Your mother never was one
Recently, I've been on a Lumineers kick and the title of this post comes from their song, Donna. It wasn’t the first lyric in the song that caught my ear, but it was the one that prompted me to write it down. Let’s just say it resonated. I’ve written, and even publicly spoken, about finding … Continue reading Your mother never was one





