Radio Essays

“You’d think I’d asked to sleep with the football team.” “Ok, Tweeple, let’s clean up the language.” “I became a vegetarian in Africa.” “You might not know, but I’m watching you.” Sitting around the seminar table, Keith and I listened to opening lines written by...

Pride

Last Thanksgiving, I wrote about pride and humility. Today, with yet another graduation speech trending on the Internet, I’m thinking about self-conceit in a different context.   Earlier this month, Wellesley High School English teacher David McCullough,...

Whining

This past weekend, I logged into one of my email accounts, in order to send a message to my mother, and received this error statement: The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request. Please contact the server...

Nostalgia

Last week, I spent time with my mother, helping her sort clothes, pictures and other items in her home of almost 60 years, the home where she raised her children and hosted her grandchildren, and now the home she is leaving. It is time for another young family to...

Commencement Part II

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, economist Charles Wheelan wrote about the things that he wished his commencement speaker had told him. Number 7 on the list of 10: “Your parents don’t want what is best for you.” Huh? You mean that after doing my best to...