Sacred space: This is where you connect with something bigger
A sacred space is not necessarily what you think it is. It doesn't have to include an altar, a tabernacle with chalice, pews, or prayer rugs.
Memoir: essays on identity, home, and life in the “last quarter”
Major Work: We were “Sputnik’s Children” – until “streaming” became a bad word
“Major Work” was the response when the Cold War called for educators to focus on “the brightest and the best”
Striped bass I caught off the Northumberland shore behind our place in early October 2025
Fishing for the ‘Big One’? Forget it – any size catch will do
No one ever taught me how to fish. And to say, “I know what I’m doing” with a fishing rod in my hand these days would be pushing it.
What you lose when you ignore ceremony and ritual
We crave the structure, meaning, and community that marking passages and occasions through ceremony and ritual gives us
Faraday Elementary “mini-reunion” of classmates from Grades 4–6 in 1968–71, with author in red
The value of reconnecting in our ‘last quarter’
When I suggested to everyone at our "mini-reunion" that, at this age, reconnecting with our respective pasts felt important, everyone nodded in eager agreement.
Laura, Jillian, Michele, and Jerry in front of Michele's parents' house, 2022
Divorce 25 years on: Our daughter is still reaping the benefits
Divorce doesn't have to be ugly. Not only did my ex and I move on, but neither of us ever weaponized our daughter.
Letters: The wondrous time capsule I found on my bookcase
Depending on where I lived, these two boxes of letters sat on my bookcase, in a drawer, or maybe in a basement cubbyhole.
Navigating friendship in my “last quarter”
“Wanna come out and play?” When you’re a kid, making friends can sometimes be that easy. Not for every kid, to be sure, but for many. But for those of us in our “last quarter?” Not so much.
Boating in retirement: The pitfalls of becoming “one” with the sea
In late 2020, I bought a recreational pump toilet for $8,500. To sweeten the deal, the seller also threw in a 22’ sterndrive boat named Paradise Ain’t Cheap.
The “Mongoose System” recipe for life: Take chances, make mistakes, and have fun
My rule was always that they had to be old enough to get my jokes, such as they were.