Happy Birthday Mom!

Ninety-one years. I’m sorry you didn’t get to celebrate today with those who love you most. You are terribly missed and frequently thought of. The love you shared with me and all of your beloved family members will never be replaced, but I’ll always remember you for your kind words, thoughtfulness, huge heart and ability [...]

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And So She Goes

My daughter starts her freshman year in college next week. I’ll move her into her residence hall on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn., on Saturday. Major milestone. No cliche in the world sums up the transition of your first born going off to college. Minds broaden; lives change [...]

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Apollo 11 – A Four-Year-Old’s Perspective

On July 20, 1969, this four-year-old kid from small-town Iowa knew something was up when his Dad came home from work early one morning to watch television.  In fact, with a quick glance down the neighborhood street, I would have noticed lots of cars parked in the driveway – with everyone inside staring at their [...]

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The Graduate

It’s official: My oldest child has graduated from high school. Her commencement address was remarkable (see short clip below). I’ve included a couple photos of her as seen on the Target Center jumbotron talking to 600 of her peers and an audience of 3,000 parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends. Here’s the introduction and first couple [...]

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E tan e epi tas

My 18-year-old daughter, a senior at Maple Grove Senior High School, graduates on June 7. In a few weeks, wings will spread and she’ll transition from a child student to an adult preparing for the start of her college experience. Wow. Where did THAT time go? Several years ago, in her Freshman year, she spoke [...]

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Best Dad Memory

My Dad marched to the beat of his own drum. He set his own standards, and while they changed through my childhood years, the bar and his expectations were always higher than I was tall. Dad was a product of a rough and tumble father and a mother who only knew how to love and [...]

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The Ugly Face of Elitism

Elitists feel they have outstanding personal abilities, intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or some other distinctive attributes, and therefore their views and ideas must be taken more seriously or carry more weight. In addition, they may assume special privileges and responsibilities and feel they have earned certain rights that others do not or should [...]

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Day 3 of 30 Days – Respect

Somewhere in a small town in Minnesota, recently, three eight-grade nose pickers decided it’s be fun to piss off their teacher by staying seated during the Pledge of Allegiance. You see, even in junior high schools around the country, kids stand once a week and recite the Pledge. They don’t HAVE to say the words, [...]

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His Last Lecture

Yesterday, April 9, I read about Randy Pausch and his “Last Lecture” at Carnegie Mellon University (yes, sometimes I feel like I live under a rock). But, thankfully, I read the New York Times and journalist/reporter Tara Parker Pope’s article about Mr. Pausch, which drew me in. I was hooked on his concept of living [...]

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In The Land of Divorced Parents

Here’s a truth: Kids will be kids. They learn to play the situation to their advantage. It’s human nature to play to the strengths and weaknesses of those we have relationships with and kids are the experts – because, in many cases, they want the “normal” that they lost in the divorce back in their [...]

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