The last time I thought about William Cullen Bryant was in 1982 when most of my friends were wandering around the hallways at Xavier High School sort of glassy-eyed and mumbling the last stanza of Thanatopsis. “So live, that when thy summons comes to join The innumerable caravan, which moves To that mysterious realm, where [...]
It seems to me that most comics either develop their brand based on acerbic observations made of strangers in passing, or build a community and feed off the energy of their crew. For certain, Pure & Weary, a comedy duo featuring my daughter Katherine and her comedy partner, my like-my-daughter Leah, are the second kind. [...]
More than almost anything else, my mother loathes butter. Her standard breakfast order -- dry toast, crisp bacon, eggs scrambled hard -- is a mandate not a request. Should butter appear on her plate, she will lose her appetite for the entire meal and the offending restaurant will face her non-negotiable butter boycott. So, when [...]
I’m learning to love in November what I love and admire in most people I know. Stripped of October’s candy corn color and uncorrupted by December’s frantic glitz, November offers only this: gratitude. And that’s a lot. November is the friend you walk with on mornings so cold your eyes water and your nose runs [...]
I thought about hope this weekend and how it can blindside you sometimes with its apparent fragility. An angry outburst, a scary diagnosis, an unexpected storm, some disappointing news, a million small things can chase hope away. But, hope is a stubborn beauty and more steadfast than we know. All it takes is faith (and [...]
