He comes to me. Big, brown eyes. Smiling. “Daddy, let’s pick night crawlers.” “What for?” He does a little jump. Claps his hands. “For fishing!” My boy. Five years old. Tickled with the notion of traipsing through puddles, picking slimy worms. “But we can’t go fishing today,” I say. “Mom will be here soon.” Undefeated. … More after the rain
The train. It’s 5:59 in the morning, but the train doesn’t care. It’s as if the conductor has a gripe with this town. Our warm and friendly port on the shore of Lake Huron. He’s blasting that horn continuously. Chugging through town with one mission—to make sure everyone’s up as early as he is. Maybe … More early train
A man stands outside in pajama pants and a hoodie, while the yellow dog sniffs undisturbed snow under the weighty boughs of the sleeping evergreens. And the fuzzy stars shine. Stuck in the middle of fading in, or fading out, and it’s another night of unsettling silence in a Michigan winter that shows no sign … More last day of February
Good morning. It’s bright, sunny—another day ripe with possibility and opportunity—as long as we embrace what we have and are willing to push on into the unknown. There’s a lot of good to be put into the world and I can do it, but today, all I really want to do is hole up in … More observe, listen, and record
I reached to touch his face, to feel this sleeping man’s cheek, because I couldn’t remember ever doing it. But I stopped short. Pulled away my hand. Stood and looked around the room until my eyes came to something I’d never seen in the house before. A Bible. Next to Dad’s alarm clock. On the … More an excerpt from BLACK
It’s been two years, Chloe buddy, and I still sense you with me, but I sure do miss you. She didn’t like fire. A few times, out of spite, she peed on our bed because we had fires in the living room. She wanted to be in there with us, but the fire kept her out. … More my dog, Chloe
Have fun before they’ve grown up and no longer want to play. Love, so both of you never forget the reason you came together. Sing even if you’re off-key and people stare or start to laugh. Cry when you have to. You should never be ashamed of your feelings. Fight for the good. For your … More an unexpected end
