Last week, my 16-year-old son, Caeleb, had a physical therapy session at 1 p.m. Unfortunately, the business of the day prevented us from visiting a museum. I felt disappointed that I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain regarding our plans for regular Friday “museum days” during…
Nothing makes me happier than when my oldest son, Julian, is home and my family is all under the same roof. We cook, laugh, and watch movies. My happy place is with my husband and two sons. One night over dinner, our conversation moved toward the high school band…
When I was younger, I often yearned for a fast-paced life. As a teenager, I rarely got to leave the house by myself. I coped by working on novels while locked away in my hot, stuffy bedroom. I loved writing in silence, but a greater part of me really wanted…
It finally happened. COVID-19 found me. After two and a half years of following the guidelines, I couldn’t outwit the virus. I had two vaccines and a booster on time, and I declined invitations. I wore a mask in Publix and Walgreens even when nobody else was doing it.
As summer begins, the MacDonald family continues a great tradition of visiting a local museum every Friday. We started at least 12 years ago when my oldest son, Julian, graduated middle school. Caeleb, my youngest boy, continues our special ritual and looks forward to exploring the many things that…
My husband and I are both United Methodist clergy, so our children are called PKs (pastors’ kids). Some PKs earn reputations for misbehaving, giving their parents plenty of gray hairs. Other PKs are kind and considerate, attend youth groups and Bible studies, and are seen as model children. My sons…
My husband, Jared, and I work to earn a living. We freelance for various clients and run a business — though due to the state of the economy here in the Philippines, business isn’t as profitable as it used to be. In between jobs, we dedicate a significant chunk of…
Last night, I dreamed that I attended a doctor appointment for my wife, Cazandra. It was a follow-up to discuss lab results requested at the initial meeting. The doctor entered the room and shared treatment strategies. She told Cazandra that she wanted to try a new medication to help…
Caeleb, the child doctors said I’d never have, has changed my life. He is 16 and thinking about his future. That may sound like a normal thing for a 16-year-old, but I was unsure about his future with his hemophilia A. His life with this disease has been…
A simple tonsillectomy led to my eventual diagnosis of hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease. Without a family history, a bleeding disorder wasn’t on my family’s or pediatrician’s radar. I had to almost bleed to death for a bleeding disorder to be suspected. Terror of the tonsils The…
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