“Oh, I remember those tennis shoes I’m wearing in that picture. I begged you and Mom to get them for me.” David Jr. was looking through old photos while he and his family were home with us for Christmas. I had been rummaging through photo albums the week before, cleaning them out and organizing them. …
For many, it’s that time of year when our best intentions shift into overdrive as we make all those New Year’s resolutions, hoping to cruise through the year accomplishing them all. And too often, we end up disappointed again. That’s because resolutions tend to become ends in themselves, and when that happens, they overload our …
That famous first line of Clement Moore’s poem—a line so familiar that it has replaced the original title, “A Visit from St. Nicolas,” in the popular imagination — is all about the surprise visit of Santa Claus. At the risk of mixing the visit of St. Nick with the real reason for Christmas, the birth …
“C’mon over here and lookie,” I said, scooping up my three-year-old granddaughter, Noah Kate, in my arms and walking to the bookcases in our living room. “Wanna see Santa Claus?” Clinging to me, she studies the black-and-white photo, older than the years she can imagine. “That’s me, your PopPop,” I explain, placing my index finger …
The wipers swished back and forth, on high speed, struggling to sweep the pouring rain from the car’s windshield. I squinted at the road ahead, careful to avoid hydroplaning. “Remind me, whose idea it was to travel to Tennessee for my birthday?” I sarcastically asked after we had stopped for a coffee break, the rain …