This story stinks. Back to that in a moment. Any time my family and I take even the shortest of road trips, it doesn’t take long for my son, Atticus, to ask: “Are we there, yet?” And no matter our response, he usually has some follow-up questions — to which answers are never adequate. At …
“You’re coming, too. I’ll wait for you.” As the youngest boy cousin on my mom’s side of the family, I constantly worried about being “left out.” And because I was the youngest, I couldn’t always depend on my older brother to extend an invitation. To that end, I habitually hoped that one of my older …
For the past few days I’ve been thinking a lot about a person whom I never met: Thomas Gregory Griffin, Jr. Just 17 days ago, Thomas took his final breath. His wife, Orianna Dixon Griffin was in a familiar place: by his side. Back to Thomas in a moment. I’ve known “Ori” for about 38 …
Hotel, motel … I bet plenty of y’all know what comes next. Back to that in a moment. In second grade I had a crush on the nurse, so I pretended to be sick. My teacher sent me to the office; the nurse sent me home — for two days! In third grade I stayed …
Of all the memories people recall, childhood “firsts” have to rank near the top: first day of school, first time riding a bike, first crush, first kiss, first dance. More on that in a second. Back when I was a child, before life removed all the innocence, there was something that I both loved and …
By now you’ve probably heard about 45’s alleged “sh**hole” comments during a private immigration meeting regarding DACA in the Oval Office. While 45 denies using disparaging language, albeit – well after severe condemnation and backlash, he acknowledges that the words he used were “tough.” (Based on the evidence, I believe that the comment was said.) …
“Oh my God, oh my God, don’t let me die!” Not exactly the words I wanted to read before boarding a 737 one night ago. I’ll get back to that in a moment. If you spend a lot of time in airports, “people-watching” may not be something that you do much of when you’re at …
If you’re anywhere near my age, you may remember the days when people had traditional snail mail Pen Pal relationships. Nowadays, with the expansion of the Internet, Pen Pals are pretty much a thing of the past. (There are some online clubs, and prisoners still develop Pen Pal-type relationships.) When I was in fifth grade, …
The holiday season has a way of bringing out the best in people. Just the other day, I was on the receiving end of generosity, when a kind gentleman — whom I had just shared a brief conversation with — politely asked if he could pay for my coffee at 7-Eleven. I was taken aback …
If there’s one parenting ritual I’ve inherited from my dad, it’s the propensity to lecture. My kids undoubtedly do not enjoy them, but it beats getting hit with a chancla. My dad viewed lecturing as an art form, and he made sure I heard every single word. Here are some examples. When I was about …