summer of love (yes, abbot)
My wife and I are calling this the Summer of Love. Both of Jeanine’s parents and both of mine are still living—three in their upper 80’s, one in his 90’s–and …
snakes in a car
I walked out of the grocery store Saturday morning, rolled the cart to the car, and opened the rear driver’s side door to put in the bags. A black snake …
name tags
I had a flash encounter with God at the grocery store last week. He was scanning a bag of kale when I noticed his name tag. “Hey,” I said, “Your …
2020
(I was grateful to be asked to share a story at Monday night’s 531 gathering in Asheville: 5 stories, 3 songs, 1 community. This month’s theme was “Clean Slate,” and …
finding each other
Jeanine and I are sitting at a wobbly table out front of a coffee shop in Portland, Maine. It’s a hot day here, July 1, but we’re in the shade, …
spanking stories
Today is my dad’s 85th birthday. Whatever you might say about your dad, I bet my brothers and I are the only ones who can say this: Our dad invented …
time out of mind
Last night I went to bed with a heavy heart. I won’t say all the reasons why. Some of them are public knowledge, and you can read about them elsewhere, …
light
This Christmas we rented a friend’s house beside a lake at the top of a mountain. “We” are various members of my wife’s family. Some of us will be here …
return to cato
I’ve not seen an obituary, so I won’t use his name. But some salt of the earth has left us. He was not a close friend. He was a psychiatrist …
small
In one of my lives, I lead a training program for psychotherapists. A few years ago, a specially gifted young therapist was presenting her work with an extremely challenging patient. The …