Columns

“MacDonald the Older” and I drove down the road that leads to his college. We stopped at a local restaurant, had a good meal, and then attended a concert together. I look forward to times like these when I get to share some laughs with my adult son.

As I write this, it’s Nov. 1 and we’re observing All Saints’ Day. On this day, I remember my mom, who passed away last June. Her final resting place is many islands away from where I live, so I am unable to pay her a visit. Nevertheless, I offer…

Recently, I took my son to the dentist to have a couple of cavities filled. I knew that the dentist had reviewed my boy’s medical issues with our treatment center, so I felt assured about the procedure. He is an excellent doctor and if I had any doubts…

Perhaps the most important lesson we learn at school is to keep our hands and feet to ourselves. I have thought about this rule every time my sons have complained about an incident at school. I remember my kindergarten teacher, Miss Paula, teaching my class that lesson. Best.

“Write about the first time you witnessed me with a bleed,” offered my husband Jared as we talked about my column over breakfast. Couples usually remember firsts. The first date. The first kiss. The first of anything special or unique to both of them, including the good and…

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some take the form of needles that terrify young children. Others terrorize us as we battle chronic illnesses. Scary creatures reveal themselves and change us because of the horrors they bring into our lives. Ghosts and shadows leave us breathless and…

Time flies so surprisingly fast. It just dawned on me that I’ll be a father in three months; my wife, Cza, is already 26 weeks into her pregnancy. There’s a lot of pressure, but I hope that my kid can be proud to have me as a father. It’s of…

My mighty warrior Caeleb is 12 years old and officially an inch taller than me. Every day he stands next to me, checking to see if that inch has stretched. I watch him from my office window, playing with his friends on the street; amazingly, he is turning…

I’m 25 weeks pregnant. Now that I’ve passed the halfway point of my pregnancy, I’m full of thoughts about the future. What happens when I give birth? After I give birth? When it sinks in that we are parents? Based on my ultrasound scans, it looks like we will have…

My youngest son continues to celebrate good health. The last time he suffered a joint bleed was in February 2014. A million years seem to have passed since the days of horrific bleeds and endless hospital visits. We used to know every nurse by name on the pediatric…