Follow your deepest dream, the one you had as a kid… but stay focused. – Donal Logue What is your deepest dream? When I was a child, my deepest dream was to be the Tooth Fairy. I believed, however, improbable, that I could do this job. One day I would meet the Tooth Fairy and …
Snow Day
Who doesn’t want a Snow Day? Sure it messes up your grown up schedule, but I think it’s worth it to see the joy on my child’s face when I announce “It’s a Snow Day!” The spoon rests beneath James’s pillow; the ice cube long since flushed down the toilet – a Snow Day ritual and oft-discussed legend among …
Season of enlightenment
What does enlightenment mean? To some enlightenment may mean to gain greater knowledge or understanding about a subject or situation. To others it may mean to have a spiritual awakening. To me enlightenment means that I’m intimate with a moment – acutely aware of what’s happening here and now. There are no words to accurately describe enlightenment. …
Moms share back-to-school resolutions
Moms, have you made your back-to-school resolutions, yet? The realization that 71 days of summer vacation has ended brings a range of emotions in kids from excitement to anxiety. Back-to-school time also leaves moms trying to figure out how to cope with the challenges of getting their kids ready to return to school. I interviewed several Rochester-area moms …
The uncertainty of weather and teenagers
Uncertainty is a fundamental characteristic of weather and teenagers. This morning is sunny, dry, and windless. The clouds are playing hooky from the watery blue sky and the birds are singing. My weather app tells me that it is exactly 63 degrees Fahrenheit. With a touch of the screen I also know: the humidity is low, at …
Why we need rituals
Often, it’s the simple acts in life that are the most important rituals to us.
Lessons learned from loss – “Jack’s Five Dads”
Losing a parent is a profound loss at any age. Children especially have trouble realizing that the loss is permanent, and they can’t organize their emotions the way an adult can. When friend Bob Dedrick lost his battle with cancer, Rob Hovey, of Canandaigua, wanted to do something for Dedrick’s family. But he didn’t know …
Bomb threats, pranks, and love
“Good Morning, there’s been a bomb threat against the school,” said the voice on my answering machine. I was busy getting ready to drive James to middle school since we were running late. I felt uneasy. “Although we don’t believe the threat to be credible,” the voice continued. “We’re working with the Sheriff’s department… following …