Vignettes from a Morning Hike
Beech Tree by a Stream The shape of a living thing is defined by what it clings to to survive. Living things grab ahold; they wrap themselves around whatever support they find and they just hang on. They grow into...
Beech Tree by a Stream
On Leaving Home
“I returned to my childhood home only to realize it wasn’t my home I was searching for.” -unknown I grew up in a little town with three stop lights, a Dairy Shack, and a market. The nearest fast food place...
A Letter to My Father, which I likely won’t send, on the day after Father’s Day, 2018
Dear Dad, Yesterday was Father’s Day; sorry we couldn’t make it up for the cookout. I thought writing you a letter might assuage a bit of the guilt I’m feeling over my absence, so here it goes. As it’s...
Limping Away from the Promised Land
I don’t speak a word of Arabic. I don’t need to. Anyone hearing this mother, no matter their native tongue, would understand the panic and urgency in her voice. Anyone would recognize her fear. Balanced atop my rickety classroom cart,...
Her First Time in Paris, 2004
“Your first ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower is no time for tears,” I said. Her attention was fixed on the horizon, on the setting sun that pointed the way to an Ohio farm boy. Paris at sunset,...
I fell toward myself…
Rev. 6/26 I am ancient. I am newly arranged, but I’ve watched eons pass. Peering into the void, I recognize my kin. Hydrogen, helium, and carbon, forged in the furnaces of dying stars, Protons and neutrons crushed into existence by...
Taking a Knee: Thoughts on Sports, Symbols, and Free Speech
Every Monday, in my classroom, we ask students to stand and say “The Pledge of Allegiance.” I have had discussions with students over the years, especially in my Honors classes, about what the words mean and about whether saying them...
Infographic Work
One surprise this summer is the discovery that I have both an interest in and (maybe) an affinity for infographics. The biggest takeaway regarding infographics that I can share is that you don’t need fancy tools to create professional-looking pieces....
Know Doubt: A Personal Blog
I have always been a writer. I am the annoying guy who posts long-winded political diatribes on Facebook and responds to friends’ texts with “1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4” replies. I have also long tinkered with the idea of creating a...