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As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, I can’t help but remember a particular year in the MacDonald household. In 2013, my youngest son, Caeleb, couldn’t catch a break from hemophilia. Constant spontaneous bleeding episodes into his right knee and ankle kept my boy in the hospital more often…

I am not a fan of roller coasters. Dropping straight down in a car on a wooden track makes me feel like my heart has left my body. Why would anyone want to feel that way? However, I have one exception: the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith…

With 2022 soon coming to a close, I can’t help but wonder what kind of year is going to take its place. So much has happened in the past three years, since my daughter, Cittie, was born. Yet when I look at my pictures then, I don’t feel like I’m…

Last week, I set out in my car to donate some household items to Goodwill. I’ve been there probably a dozen times, but this time I drove past the Goodwill building twice. Why? Because my community is missing signs. All kinds of signs. Street signs, building signs, and even stop…

In the Christian tradition, the season of Advent occurs for the four weeks leading to Christmas. Through the time leading up to the birth of Christ, we take a fearless moral inventory and address the issues that keep us from experiencing hope and contentment. I often equate Advent as a…

An excellent sitcom in the late 1970s and early ’80s featured the character Herb Tarlek, played by Frank Bonner. Fans of “WKRP in Cincinnati” will remember how Tarlek, a sales manager, would do anything necessary to secure advertising for his radio station, such as soliciting ads from outrageous…

I recently bought an unexpectedly large number of indoor plants. After previously having just one living room plant and a dying cactus, I suddenly had an epiphany about redecorating with multiple houseplants. I managed to create a relaxing sanctuary, and now every day feels like a tiny vacation! Since my…

I tell my sons that I love them every day and at the end of every conversation. I can count on one hand the number of days I haven’t spoken to them. However, sometimes I fear my words fall on deaf ears, as my pronouncement of devotion may sound repetitive…

I’ve been reading quite a bit of philosophy in my free time lately. Right now I’m reading the works of Seneca, a first-century Stoic philosopher. I’ve always been interested in Stoic philosophy and its teachings. As a field of study, Stoicism is concerned mainly with how humans can attain…

Stephanie was my foster child in the ’90s. She was the cutest little girl on the planet. With curly, bright-red hair and freckles, she had a charisma and charm that were hard to ignore. Stephanie was born with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. She developed full-blown AIDS when she…