Chaos and Coffee

After my dad passed away, I surprised myself by knowing exactly what I wanted from his belongings: not the tools, the books, or the antique furniture—but his teddy bear and his signet ring. I didn’t even know its name, but I wanted that threadbare, unhinged little specimen. That bear must be nearly a hundred years […]

There have been a few moments in my life when I realized I wasn’t born for certain activities. Horseback riding, black diamond ski runs, and folding fitted sheets. But I really wasn’t born for speed skating. Speed skating in Holland, to be more precise. I was a Rotary Club exchange student in the eighties and […]

I’d bet Christmas starts much earlier in our home than in yours. Why? Well, we have a “Clark”, the youngest of our four awesome children, who just happens to have Down’s syndrome. He adores Christmas. He does not understand the order of days, or holidays, or the concept of time. He doesn’t know that just […]

I see her. The old woman. She is sitting on a park bench. The same park bench every day, surrounded by birds and squirrels. Each time I come to the park she is here. The old woman is known to all who come to enjoy the park. Every day without fail. Sitting in heavy rains, […]

When I was a kid, nothing gave me the creeps quite like the infamous clown cookie jar my Grandma Hicks painted. Who in their right mind would ever think a child would want a cookie from the evil clown? Mom would fill it with homemade cookies, and while they were delicious, I still felt totally gipped […]

Writing an obituary for your dad is weird. It’s not exactly a skill you hope to develop—but since I already wrote one for my mom, I figured, hey, why not go for the sequel? I tried to write this the same way I did hers: with love, honesty, and just enough sarcasm to make him […]