“Del possesses one of the most capacious hearts I’ve ever encountered, meaning there’s room and love in there for just about everyone.”
Monthly Archives: August 2020
High Hopes
“If the melting pot metaphor still has relevance, it may be in our public schools. I hope that the seeds of division currently being sown across the political spectrum will be left to wither in the field by the young people of America now.”
A Bad Romance: The Story Behind the Story of Island No. 6
“I picked up the pieces of my writer’s broken heart and put myself and my work out there once more. Who knows? Maybe Mr. or Mrs. Right Agent is still out there. If so, I’m willing to put the bad romance behind me and to learn to love again.”
36th Year – To Teach or Not to Teach
“Soon I’ll begin my 36th year in the classroom. It will certainly be the most bizarre of school years and likely the most challenging, and over the summer, there have been moments when the thought of retiring has flickered across my mind”
On Happiness
“Moments of unadulterated happiness truly are the stuff of life. Anyone who accumulates even a handful in the span of a lifetime and transforms those moments into memories can boast of a life well-lived.”
On Children Leaving Home
As I’ve been watching friends and family members send off their college age children, I thought I’d share some of the accrued wisdom we shared with our children as they left home for the first prolonged period of time.
America is a Noun
“I’m not sure with whom I was more disappointed: right wingers for co-opting the colors and the notion of American pride or left-leaning folks like me for allowing it to happen.”
Bob’s Life Mattered
“Occasionally, I hear folks complain about BLM. They typically make some kind of blanket declaration of the obvious, like “All Lives Matter,” as if to suggest they, as white people, are in similar need of societal validation. I find such glomming onto African-Americans’ justifiable claim to be petty and to miss the point entirely.”
Thank You, John B.
“Not long ago I unexpectedly came across the obituary for John B., and I have not been able to get him or the effect he had on my life out of my head ever since.”
Ty Roth 