Ch. 2: Family

  • My Ocean at the End of Wye Landing Lane

    In late July of 1973, my dad woke me gently from my sleep just after 4 a.m., and immediately I sprung from my bed, slipping on my kid-sized khakis and a pair of fish-head sneakers before heading downstairs to the kitchen. There, he had just finished stirring some instant coffee in my Snoopy mug. The…

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  • When the past expands

    When the past expands

    As a teacher, I have been using my Summer time to do a great deal of reading and research. The fiction works I have read are a mix of contemporary and those written in the 19th and 20th centuries – from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to…

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  • On Authenticity and Taking Things Personally

    If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber’d here While these visions did appear. I’ve been having some rather candid conversations with fellow writers and non-writers in Towson and around town about the importance of authentic writing, both in polished pieces that we submit for publication…

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  • The Child At My Door

    The Child At My Door

    It was a late November night, And I was just about done. The stacks of papers that I needed to grade Had, in some small way, dwindled down to none. I lifted the stained red cup from my desk And finished the cold coffee poured hours before; I reached for the lamp signed by students…

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  • Dream On

    Dream On

    When I was 7 or 8, my brother, 19 years my elder, moved back into our house after he separated with his wife, and we shared the narrow attic bedroom space. That must have been weird for him, as he had spent his entire childhood up there with our other two brothers, who were much…

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  • Family Reunited

    Family Reunited

    Grateful to reunite with my sister and her family. There is nothing greater than familial love. “Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life.” -Albert Einstein

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  • 14 Hours In Light: Part 6. The Final Ascent and Facing The Final Fear

    Part 6. The Final Ascent and Facing The Final Fear Braeden decides to join us at the last minute, and he and Madelyn lead the way to the top of the hill. Their energy is boundless, and Rob and I take our time making the steep climb. The sun still seems high in the sky,…

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  • 14 Hours In Light: Part 5. The Descent and The Energy Within

    14 Hours In Light: Part 5. The Descent and The Energy Within Once the sun had cleared the mountain, I take one more walk around the perimeter of the summit before heading back to the cabin. The walk down the mountain is, at worst, in shadow. Gone are the fears about bears, injuries, or communication…

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