With the news of Russia invading the Ukraine, my heart has been very heavy. The Ukraine has been growing up from its infancy as a sovereign nation since back in the 90’s to its own very real, very independent, country. I’m not going to rehash the many reasons that Russia has used as “excuses” to invade. You can read those elsewhere. I’m going to comment on the bottom line, primitive emotion that Putin seems to Read more
I have been stuck on how to put into words how I have felt since the entire pandemic started. As one of 7 billion or so humans experience this for the first time, I am sure that some of my emotions were also widely experienced. Let me start from the beginning, and offer a caveat. I am a scientist at my core. That means I like to hypothesize, experiment, prove or disprove, and repeat. I Read more
On Monday, December 6th, we learned that our friend Fern, had passed away. We had known that she recently had been struggling with breathing, but were completely shocked to learn of this loss. Today was the memorial, where family and friends spoke into a microphone, expressing their love for Fern, in the best ways they could. The shock and sadness still so fresh and heavy on each of their faces. Even with this weight, the Read more
366 days. We have witnessed them get up and stagger, and then walk. We have all felt some portion of their unbelievable pain. Although not all, that is unfathomable. The idea of courage means so many different things to different people. For us, today, we are thinking of Ethan. Ethan Miles was extraordinary in the time he spent on this earth. You felt him whether right next to him, or two thousand miles away. There Read more
He entered this world 21 years ago tomorrow. He made my brother a father. He was soon joined 18 months later by his sister. The two of them together were a perfect tandem. Each possessing an indelible spirit and shine that would light my brothers face up when he spoke of them. To watch the transformation those two children had on my brother was the stuff of magic. No song or sonnet about love could Read more
The happiest moments in life come in so many different forms. Your child is born. Your partner says, “I do”. You get a promotion in your career. The lower points have the same level of scattered diversity. The loss of a loved one. A divorce. Your company dissolves . Of course, each of these is just an example. For each one of us, they are different. They are more personal and more pertinent. The highs Read more
Raising children who are people of color as a white man I grew up in a family without a lot of money. My parents were working class, catholic, and had simple tastes. We lived in an apartment, in a neighborhood, in Silver Spring, Maryland. The neighborhood was a blend of many ethnic backgrounds, and the elementary school reflected that. My earliest friends were Puerto Rican, African American, and caucasian. When my parents divorced, I Read more
One example we think we all know for sure…the moon…it’s feminine! Right? The answer to the question of the moon, like many answers to many questions is, it depends on who you are asking. From germanic roots, the moon, is male. From latin roots, the moon, is female. The sun also has opposite genders assigned depending upon the roots of the language. The English definition of the moon and the sun have no gender. Over Read more
I was 12 when my parents decided they were going to divorce. I had hidden glances into their disfunction. Some of it was subtle, some was loud. When they did finally get a divorce, my mother , myself, and my three brothers moved to a different city. The city was about 20 miles away from where my father continued to live. The reality of a new house, new bedrooms and new schools slowly became our Read more
Did that get your attention? I hope so. I can hear the questions: “But I thought all kids should go to college?” “What else are they supposed to do?” “I want my child to have the best opportunities in life!” (Okay, that one isn’t really a question). What if I had added a small word at the end of that sentence….yet. As a father of three children, I have been forced to ask myself whether Read more