They say you can learn a lot by asking questions. You can also learn a lot by listening. Last month, I made plans to spend a long weekend in Florida with my dad since he wasn’t planning on coming up for the holidays. Between the time I booked the trip and the moment...
While cleaning out my father’s apartment to get it ready for sale, my sister came across a stack of handwritten letters we had sent my grandparents in the early and mid-1980s. We had just left Florida for Connecticut, and letter writing was our primary means of...
Some of you may be tempted to think that what you’re about to read is a bit of heartwarming fiction. It’s not. This happened to me this morning, and I feel compelled to share it with you on a day when we intentionally set aside time to be grateful for what we have....
Alone again with his thoughts, Joseph felt as if the waiting room he was in was more than just a space where people go for a quick break or to have a private conversation out of earshot of their loved one. It wasn’t a place of comfort, like heaven, nor a place of...
This is my first Mother’s Day without my mom. And I’ll be honest—I wasn’t sure how it would feel. I knew it would be quiet. No phone call. No reminder to go to Mass. No “Michael, you are full of soup” when I tried to pull one over on her like the wise ass that I am...
Dear Grace, Patrick, and Maggie, Today marks your 23rd birthday—which means I’ve now spent 24 years as a father. How that’s possible, I’m not quite sure, because in my head I’m still 25. But it’s true: 23 years ago, you came into the world nine weeks early and have...
