Lesson(s) Learned

Have you ever noticed at the end of one chapter of a book, the author (or perhaps it’s the publisher) intentionally leaves some space before moving onto the next chapter? Sure, one could argue that it’s solely done as a means to properly format a book; but after looking around my bedroom at the all the cardboard boxes and all the empty spaces in between, I tend to think the empty spaces in books (and the empty spaces in life) need more attention and more credit than we oftentimes give them. The spaces in between chapters of a book are there to help you pause. They’re there to help you reflect on what you’ve learned and remember the people you’ve grown to know and love along the journey. They’re there to help you make sense of things past and prepare you for things to come. As I sit here in my bedroom surrounded by the smell of cardboard boxes and the sounds of the people I love moving about the house, I realize that the empty spaces in my room are much lik...

Hit and Run I don’t know how your Saturday morning started. Perhaps, it was a “normal“ day for you and your family. I surely hope so. My family, however, was not quite-so-lucky this morning. It all started when I, unusually, awoke from my sleep at a bright-and-early-time-before-7:30-a.m. this morning. This may not sound so off-base for many of you early risers, but let me remind you: I’m a teacher. And it’s a Saturday. In the summertime. Needless to say, 7:30 a.m. isn’t my go-to wake-up call for a summertime Saturday. In fact, if I had anything to do with it, 7:30 a.m. wouldn’t even be on my radar. Shortly after waking up, the doorbell rang and was followed by a knock at the front door. Dad answered the door to greet two of our neighbors, who apparently had a third-party, not-so-great story to share with us. From there, it all unraveled. An unknown driver hit three of the cars parked in front of our house. And didn’t stick around to leave any explanation or any evid...