Charming Billy

Changing Table Elegy

July 17, 2019 By

Our Billy gets the parental scraps.

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All Roads Lead to Beauty

June 13, 2019 By

Rome will do great things for you.

Dad Can Cry If He Wants To—Or Not

May 17, 2019 By

I’ve earned my stripes.

Gaelic Football Is Our Green New Deal

April 24, 2019 By

It’s basketball plus a touch of violence and a pinch of volleyball.

Failure Is a Teacher

March 15, 2019 By

Earned success tastes better.

Photo: Ernesto Andrade / CC BY-ND 2.0

Shake the Hand That Shook the Hand

February 13, 2019 By

My mitts are an embarrassment.

One Flu Over the Foosball Table

January 9, 2019 By

The virus is no joke.

You’re In Good Hands

December 11, 2018 By

Christmas is a time for intangibles.

Take a Penny, Leaf a Penny

November 14, 2018 By

Little eyes are watching.

Our Lady of the Lamp and Hammer

October 9, 2018 By

It was a sticky hitch for a late hour.

It Bears All Things

July 13, 2018 By

Love does not seek its own interests.

That Old House

June 14, 2018 By

I did my growing up on Speedwell Avenue.

Darling Buds Are Here Again

May 11, 2018 By

The fire still burns.

The Girl Who Cried Moose

April 5, 2018 By

“Made you look!”

Photo by Luca Violetto

Keep Pedaling

March 9, 2018 By

You’re going to fall. Do not panic. 

Learning to Lighten Up for Lent

February 7, 2018 By

I hope I am not a “serious person.”

Keys in the Song of Love

January 11, 2018 By

*clickety-clack clickety-clack clackding ziiiiiiiip*

Christmas Is Not (Just) A Story

December 5, 2017 By

Then the baby came and all was quiet.

We Have a Yeller

November 3, 2017 By

It’s better to be annoying than ignored.

All Are Welcome

September 28, 2017 By

“We take any woman who is pregnant and needs a place to stay.”

Another Office Drone with Vacation Brain

August 25, 2017 By

Why can’t we just live here forever?

Everyone Was a Bird

July 14, 2017 By

Dulce et decorum est convalescere.

Lilly’s Big Day

May 10, 2017 By

These blessings come once in a lifetime.

The Called Me the Wanderer

April 6, 2017 By

All are welcome.

Doubts About the Program

March 16, 2017 By

Humans are part of the environment, not a blight upon it.

Love Among the Artifacts

March 14, 2017 By

Beware the flyleaf inscription.

His Talent Doesn’t Come From Dad

January 19, 2017 By

Many can’t manage their gifts, just as some people can’t handle the truth.

The Only List that Matters

December 11, 2016 By

You can’t win it if you ain’t in it.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses

November 17, 2016 By

You’re doing well enough.

My Sheep Hear My Voice

October 14, 2016 By

We are not alone.

Miracle on Perryridge Road

September 16, 2016 By

The rookie has some veterans worried about losing their spots in the batting order.

No Hiding from the Hardest Jobs

July 22, 2016 By

You get paid for the stuff you don’t enjoy, not the stuff you do.

One Dad at a Time

June 17, 2016 By

Putting the family back together

Be Fruitful, Multiply

May 13, 2016 By

We’re having a baby.

What Day Is It Again?

April 17, 2016 By

Hitching her dreams to mine was no sure thing. She is a woman of strong faith.

In Praise of Rich Uncles

March 21, 2016 By

Special arrangements could always be made.

The Lord God Made Them All

February 19, 2016 By

All of God’s creatures have a place in the choir.

You Are Forgiven

January 21, 2016 By

May God give you pardon and peace.

Merry Christmas from the Family

December 11, 2015 By

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

Take the Wife-griping Somewhere Else

November 17, 2015 By

If you need someone to nod his head in agreement while you badmouth your “old lady,” count me out.

Everyone Needs a Friend Like Joe Boots

October 10, 2015 By

He needs these words of praise like he needs poison ivy on the back of his knees.

Secrets of the Big Manila Envelope

September 16, 2015 By

I was a disco-era Howdy Doody.

Mourning the Death of False Idols

July 24, 2015 By

Fathers everywhere measured themselves against Atticus Finch.

“That’s where the crazy guy lives”

June 19, 2015 By

I did an angry thing.

Star Wars Is Still Star Wars

May 21, 2015 By

The childhood magic is gone, but the essential messages remain.

Another Easter in the Basement

April 20, 2015 By

“Come. Bring me your troubles. I will make it all okay.”

Lent and Heroism

March 20, 2015 By

You wouldn’t give up your life for a maybe, would you?

Fifty Years a Priest

February 17, 2015 By

A good man celebrates half a century as God’s priest

Everything Worth Doing Is Hard

January 18, 2015 By

We all have challenges.

Snap Out of It, Scrooge

December 16, 2014 By

Already have everything I want.