From Where I Sit

Dr. R. F. Smith, Jr. and Rebecca Galli

Slice of life columns about Becky’s wheelchair escapades and other “From Where I Sit” reflections.


Chance to make a difference lost

I should have helped him. He was an older man with slightly slumped shoulders and an uneven cadence that slowed his pace. “May I help you?” the young receptionist greeted him with an overly bright smile. I wondered if she needed to speak so loudly. We were the only two in the waiting area. I […]

Finding our sense of place, and belonging, as holidays approach

He attributed his survival to his sport. On August 31, 2004 during a night patrol in Baghdad, a rocket-propelled grenade hit a disabled supply truck that U.S. Army Sgt. George T. Manning and two other soldiers were moving to the side of the road. Manning heard a thundering boom, and then felt a massive blast […]

Letting go without falling apart—when your youngest goes to college

It was a late start, but then again, that was all part of the plan. Most college kids were already in school — some had even come home for a weekend. But those California folks have their own ideas about a lot of things — start times, grading quarters, and an odd tradition of not […]