Stories & reflections
Slice-of-life stories, wheelchair escapades, and everyday discoveries from my “From Where I Sit” columns, featured in The Baltimore Sun publications.
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…
Read more: Chance to make a difference lost →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…
Read more: Finding our sense of place, and belonging, as holidays approach →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…
Read more: Letting go without falling apart—when your youngest goes to college →On July 9, 10:30 p.m., Alec Cosgarea lost his life in an automobile accident. He was only 17. Death is difficult; untimely death is tragic. There’s a much-too-large fraternity of those who have experienced this kind of wrenching…
Read more: When tragedy strikes, those who wish to help might not find the words →The topic was predictable — its message not. Perseverance was the NCAA wrestling champion’s subject for the evening as he addressed the room of athletes and their families at the 38th annual Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, Pennsylvania’s “Rose…
Read more: Words to inspire students and parents on the ‘launch’ to college →It’s a question only a wrestler could answer. “How much more do you think wet hair weighs?” I asked my son. He glanced up from his breakfast burrito, sized up my dripping locks, and quipped, “Three ounces,” then…
Read more: Weighing options of how to embrace weight loss challenges →It was a loving thing to say. We were nibbling on a few appetizers before we began the tour of their new home. “She may not show you her office,” my friend’s husband warned me. “She still has…
Read more: New home’s tour reveals a new approach to clutter →It is my new “addiction.” It’s the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do at night. It jump starts my brain, I justify, as I sneak in one more move before giving…
Read more: Game exercises word knowledge, but also has lesson about value of patience →