His name was Allen Parker. I happened upon this fellow's existence while perusing LinkedIn one ordinary September afternoon. My first...

As with teachers, doctors, and coaches, some caregivers are more effective than others. And while winning the most games may elevate you...

Grief has taught me the art of avoidance. Certain places, heavy spaces, grocery store aisles, concert arenas, entire city blocks, months...

Springtime in high school is a magical thing. The sludge of winter gives way to rainbow-colored tulips, the days grow longer and the...

I started grocery shopping before I could drive. At eleven or twelve I considered myself a trainee-in-progress, strolling through the...

"You are not my daughter." Six years ago, on an unseasonably warm day in September, my mother lost her mind. The condition came on...

Two friends go to gymnastics class. Kayla slips and breaks her wrist on the vault. Gemma falls off the bars but walks away with a minor...

When I was twenty I took a party bus to the Rolling Stones concert—with my dentist. This was 2003, and even though the rockers were...

Sir Francis Bacon believed knowledge is power, coining a saying in 1597 that would be quoted by Thomas Jefferson and stretch forward into...

"How is your mother doing?" Fine, thank you for asking. And how is your cancer? The cold sore on your lip? The guy you're cheating on...