Columns. Commentaries. Contemplations.
“Passing the flag to a new generation” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (May 19, 2013). It hung from the house like a beacon. Unlike most flags on the block, however, it paid no tribute to country or ancestral motherland. Rather, it honored a state of being: …
Read More
“Decisions, Decisions” in Main Line Today (May, 2013). I stand in aisle nine and stare blankly at the toothbrushes. There are 97 different kinds to choose from – each one recommended by a different dental association. I pour over the options, weighing my mouth’s needs with …
Read More
“The light is out there… somewhere” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (December 14, 2014). I imagine a boy on a plane, flying through the night sky, holiday travelers sitting side by side and row by row. Save for a few overhead spotlights shining down on crossword …
Read More
“Taking Flight Lessons from Darby’s Skiles Fielding Montague” in Main Line Today (March, 2013). It sat there for years — one of those oddities that gives a place character and becomes the stuff of legend: the tiny powder-blue plane inexplicably perched on a roof in Darby. …
Read More
“Along for the ride” in Main Line Today (December, 2012). The burgundy engine hums to life with a subtle twist of the wrist, leaving behind fathers with suitcases and moms clutching the hands of children. Frozen on the platform, the tiny figures wait for a …
Read More
Philadelphia Inquirer (November 22, 2012) Stepping out into the cold November night, I shut the door behind me and listen. Inside, muted voices laugh and reminisce; children holler; an uncle plays “Heart and Soul” on the piano. Outside, however, all is still save the winter …
Read More
“Mud and memories” in Main Line Today (November, 2012). I stood on the front stoop, looking left and right. A sneaker dangled from each hand. All was quiet. Too quiet. Lawn mowers, blowers, and circular saws were silenced. The bouncing echo of the basketball faded. …
Read More“Mysteries of life and the side yard” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. My daughter, the undertaker. Pulling out of the driveway one recent morning, I noticed a lifeless squirrel on the side of the road. Whether it was tree branch acrobatics or my neighbor’s Nissan that …
Read More
“At Knoebels, the season of the carousel” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. When faced with an autumnal deadline, and winter’s arrival just beyond that, summer sneaks its blessings into sun-soaked days and shouts to the world: “LIVE NOW!” We join with the waves until one day …
Read More
“Thoreau the truth-seeker” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I can see it clearly: the American literature textbook from my sophomore year in high school, complete with faded red cover, frayed spine and a list of students who had rifled through its pages in years past. In …
Read More“Yearning to go back to the ways of Christopher Robin” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Friendship,” said Christopher Robin, “is a very comforting thing to have.” It is indeed, though I wonder what might have happened to those beloved friendships in the Hundred Acre Wood if …
Read More
“Learning to live in a graveyard” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I grew up in a cemetery. Apart from the house I grew up in, the cemetery just four doors down from that house is home to the fondest memories of my childhood, my adolescence, and …
Read More“A place not yet touched by 9/11” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. When the mood strikes and both the calendar and skies are clear, my children and I venture to the nearby Brandywine Valley Airport to catch a glimpse of the airplanes and helicopters in flight. Watching these …
Read More“Identity Crisis” in Main Line Today (July, 2011). I tried to tackle my to-do list today, but things haven’t worked out as planned. 1. Pay mortgage. I went to pay my mortgage but couldn’t remember my password. After asking for help, I was told I …
Read More“I Google myself, therefore I am” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Under cover of darkness, with the shades drawn and the neighborhood fast asleep – save for a red fox making its rounds in search of prey – I went in search of myself. The Google …
Read More“A Father’s Retreat” in Main Line Today (June 2011). As a young boy, I never could quite understand how my father could spend hours each evening in that room. The routine went like this: After arriving home shortly before 6 p.m., our dad would join …
Read More“Dyed-in-the-wool fools don’t need a special day” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I love practical jokes. Even before I could tie my shoes, I was tying unsuspecting family members’ laces together. So began my career as a prankster – a profession that can sometimes prove hazardous …
Read More“To put it bluntly, I don’t like your dog” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (March 25, 2011). I have a confession to make: I’m not a dog lover. Never have been, never will be. There, I’ve said it. Friends, relatives, neighbors, now you know the truth: …
Read More“Thanksgiving and a Welcome Melancholy” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (November 25, 2010). On a recent autumn night, I found myself sitting by the fire in the backyard. The moon and stars shone above while the fire danced and crackled below. In the quiet, there was …
Read More“Halloween Fears” in the Harrisburg Patriot-News (October 28, 2010). “Suddenly there came a tapping, as of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” Edgar Allan Poe penned these words in “The Raven,” the story of a lonely man hidden inside his home, so …
Read More