Month: June 2021
What I Want You to Know About a Life Unfinished
I used to get on the roof every now and then to blow leaves out of the gutter or trim back the overhanging branches from the neighbor’s tall tree. It felt a little, well, reckless. I’ve heard enough stories about dads and grandpas falling… Continue Reading “What I Want You to Know About a Life Unfinished”
What I Want You to Know About Being “Just Daddy”
On this Father’s Day, I’ve been ruminating on what several people this past year have told me. Something along the lines of, “You’re not just the dad now. You’re the mom and the dad.” I know what they are trying to say. They are… Continue Reading “What I Want You to Know About Being “Just Daddy””
To my wife, on the anniversary of her death
My Dude, You’ve been gone a year. The enormity of this anniversary has loomed for a while but now that it’s here I’m having a hard time coming to grips with the reality of it. A year without you. I lived twenty-two years without… Continue Reading “To my wife, on the anniversary of her death”
What I Want You to Know About All the First Year Milestones
We’re a few days away from the one-year anniversary of your mom’s death, which means we are almost done with all the first-year milestones. Father’s Day and Mother’s Day; each of our birthdays; Thanksgiving and Christmas; the wedding anniversary; the one-month mark and the… Continue Reading “What I Want You to Know About All the First Year Milestones”
What I Want You to Know on Your Seventh Birthday
Every loving parent has two warring instincts which, during normal times, reach a sort of uneasy equilibrium. First is the instinct to give your child everything under the sun. This starts during pregnancy, when parents convince themselves that a new baby somehow requires a… Continue Reading “What I Want You to Know on Your Seventh Birthday”
A Widowed Father 