Tag Archives: memories

Monday Musings: Reflections on College Graduation Weekend

This weekend, Nancy, as acting president of the university here, is presiding over her second, and last, college graduation. In July, a new president (or Vice Chancellor, as the president here is known) will take over, and Nancy will begin … Continue reading

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Monday Musings: Missing a Missing Friend

We lived in Australia for a year back in the mid 2000s, when our daughters were in primary school. Alex, the older one, turned 11 while we were there. Erin turned 7. Both girls were already swimming competitively here at … Continue reading

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Monday Musings: The Things We Say, The Things We Don’t Say

Let’s begin with a couple of quick exercises. First, I want you to pause for a moment and think of someone you’re fond of to whom you have something to say, something you haven’t yet said. Think of your feelings … Continue reading

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Monday Musings: Two Conversations With My Mom

Yesterday would have been my mother’s birthday — her 101st. I’ve written about her, and my dad, quit a bit in this space, though I haven’t written about my mother in a couple of years. She was smart and funny, … Continue reading

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Monday Musings: What Matters, Part IV — Money

Say you don’t need no diamond rings, And I’ll be satisfied; Tell me that you want the kind of things, That money just can’t buy. — John Lennon and Paul McCartney We were bound to get to money eventually, right? … Continue reading

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Monday Musings: My Father’s Present

I write about my father a lot in this blog. Last year at this time, I wrote a long tribute to him commemorating what would have been his one hundred and second birthday. I write about my mother as well … Continue reading

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Monday Musings: The Two Best Holiday Gifts I’ve Gotten. Ever.

The holidays are upon us, and chances are you — like me, like everyone I know — have been caught up in the spirit of gift-giving. We want to find those perfect presents for the people we love most. We … Continue reading

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Monday Musings: Memories of Halloweens Past

We live in a small subdivision outside of our little college town. Our neighborhood consists of maybe eighteen houses, only a handful of them with young children. I bring this up today because it’s Halloween and while usually I find … Continue reading

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Monday Musings: Remembering My Brother Bill

Five years ago this week, my family—spouse and kids, brother and sister and their families, cousins—gathered in northern Massachusetts to say goodbye to my oldest brother, Bill, who had passed away earlier in the year after a brief, intense battle … Continue reading

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Monday Musings: The Wisdom and Love of Friends and Family

Many years ago — decades, in fact — in a rare moment of precocious insight, I wrote the following in my journal: “There is nothing like the wisdom and love of friends to remind us of who we are.” Even … Continue reading

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