It was 5:38 a.m. this morning when Ryan marched into our room to tell us he had been awake since 4 and couldn’t go back to sleep. He promptly climbed into bed. I heard only bits and pieces of his conversation with Veronica before falling back to sleep, but what I heard was poignant enough […]
Read more "It’s Still Progress"Hockey is back. You know how I know? Saturday night at 7, just as one of the biggest college football games of the year, Alabama-Texas A&M, was winding down, I was forced to surrender the living room TV for a preseason game on NHL Network. Johnny Football ain’t got nuthin’ on Evander Kane, Alex Ovechkin, […]
Read more "The Seeds of Self-Advocacy"We celebrated Ryan’s birthday this weekend with a wonderful gathering of family and friends. He was socially engaged, guiding all the kids — and even some of the adults — in games of backyard hockey. He got lots of sports gifts. His San Jose Sharks-themed room got even more Sharks-ier with a new team comforter. […]
Read more "A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Clues"As promised, Ryan held a 9/11 ceremony before our backyard hockey game last night. In fact, it was the first thing he told me when I called to say I was almost home. “Dad, hurry up! Remember, there will be a 10-minute ceremony before the game.” When I got home, changed, and got out there, […]
Read more "Postscript: Ryan’s 9/11 Ceremony"I have so much to write — about the end of summer and the start of school. Heck, I still have a few items from summer vacation I want to get to. But moment-to-moment interactions often dictate the agenda here, and many a post gets conceived in brief bits of morning conversation. This was a […]
Read more "Remembering 9/11, Ryan’s Way"
Pucks and Puzzle Pieces 