Here in greater Chicago, and (I expect in many other densely urban settings) we frequently think of distance in terms of time. When I am...

“Former” can signify respect—“Former president”, or “Former Olympic athlete”. Or nostalgia—“Former member of the rock band Journey” or...

The plot of the Oscar Wilde comedic play “The Importance of being Earnest” revolves around the romantic advantages that accrue to a...

When my sons are not playing video games, they like things with wheels. Last summer, we got them larger mountain-type bicycles. They...

The word “guardian” in the popular lexicon has both positive and negative connotations. The “Guardians of the Galaxy,” in the Marvel...

Horrifying pictures of dead children on hospital stretchers, covered with blood-soaked sheets. Disturbing photos of burnt-out...

As a financial and benefits planner for people with disabilities and their families, I am excited when clients first come to work with...

My late grandmother once said: “They didn’t have cholesterol when I was a girl!” in response to some family member trying to discourage...

Before I worked as a financial planner, I was the executive director of L’Arche Chicago, the small local chapter of an international...

Every time I use a certain gas station near my children’s school, I am prompted to scan my rewards card. Since I don’t have one, I am...

My own children as well as some of the students that I teach are getting excited for Halloween. Besides free candy, the attraction of...

September 12-18, 2021 is Direct Support Professionals’ (DSPs’) week. If you are a person with a disability, who needs support or are the...

Although I probably found him a bit frightening as a toddler, one of my favorite Sesame Street characters, in reminiscence, is Count von...

I am a big fan of Star Trek and have watched every series from the reruns of the original series that fueled my childhood imagination to...

The “Rerouting” function on my GPS is alternatively really helpful and impossible. Sometimes, when I miss a turn or misinterpret a step,...

When they bike, my kids conflate “shortcut” with “alternate route”. I have given up explaining that if you start at the same place, end...

This article just showed up in my Facebook feed. While I do not know this family’s backstory, I strongly suspect that the father’s...

My younger son likes to play with his Rubik’s Cube. Yes, I mean that same multi-colored cubic puzzle that debuted in the seventies. So...

The question “Do you want fries with that?” has become a shorthand phrase, synonymous with the fast-food industry. So much so that it is...

One of our four chickens is a rescue hen named Henrietta. She lived the first year or so of her life on an egg farm. It is not uncommon...