A couple decades ago, my AP English class read Dylan Thomas’ “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” and I challenged them to write a piece in that style. They insisted that I do that assignment, too; we read their stories aloud over a couple of days before the holidays, and without exception, it was some of the best writing I’ve read.
Read more
-14 to Christmas Eve “Photographs and memories, Christmas cards you’ve sent to me…” That Jim Croce line runs through my mind often during the holidays (Yes, I know it’s a song about a break up. “Jolly” is not a word that usually is associated with the random things I remember.) I was in middle school when I saved babysitting money
Read more-15 to Christmas Eve: Out of Chaos,…what? Good intentions–you know what those lead to? My plan was simple, even elegant: I would gather all the boxes and bags of Christmas decorations and paraphernalia from the basement, my extra bedroom, and wherever else I’d stashed them, into my living room for a judgement day. What do I want to keep, where
Read more
A decade ago, I listed 54 random thoughts to commemorate my 54th birthday. You can read those here: https://wordpress.com/post/thewavereturns.org/167 Today I turned 64, so I decided to see what spills out when I try this again. I haven’t reread my old list recently, so it’ll be interesting to see if there are any commonalities.
Read more
Dear Dan Levy, I love Schitt’s Creek. It’s one of the comfort-watch shows that is getting me through the pandemic, and if I were still at the fan-fic stage of my life, I’d be Mary Sue-ing without shame. You and your family–on both sides of the camera–have given the world a gift, and I’m so, so thankful. I’m just a
Read more
Right now, I should be entering grades, writing (very late) lesson plans, and designing the final exams that I will be giving the week after next; in order to put together study guides, I need to know what’s on the exam, and with graduation next weekend, I’m not going to even attempt to tell myself that I’ll put together the
Read more
I’d like to say to all my fans out there, thanks for the support. And to all my doubters, thank you very much because you guys have also pushed me. Usain Bolt This picture is a reminder of times I’ve accomplished more than I would have thought possible because I’ve dug in and gotten stubborn when people who shall remain
Read moreYou don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu In a few minutes, I’m going to head home from Parent-Teacher conferences to have chili made by my daughter Megan, who is home from Columbus for a couple days. We’ll sit at the table eating and chatting, and if Bethany has her
Read moreOn a Palm Sunday in the early 1970s, I was confirmed as a member of The United Methodist Church. I was excited to officially join my church, and I looked forward to being active in the large, dynamic youth group which became the cornerstone of my social life throughout my junior high and high school years. At the time, the
Read moreNote: I wrote this in 2013, and I was only an English teacher at Lima Senior for a couple of years after I wrote this. I teared up while re-reading it, and I stand by my belief that MI did incredible things and being part of it was the highlight of my career as a teacher. I’m only going to
Read more
The Wave Returns 