When I climb Wheeler Peak (as I have every summer in recent years), I experience two emotional highs. The first comes when I see the mountains; I guess it’s the memories of adventures-past and the thrill of once again pitting myself against the peak. The second follows, after the summit, when I’m overcome with a […]
I will see ghosts tomorrow night. Commencement is my favorite event of the school year. I love the pageantry—the college band playing Pomp and Circumstance, the choir, the regalia (royal blue stripes on my gown’s sleeves and a flaming red hood courtesy of Texas Tech). My favorite part is the processional, where faculty line the […]
A reporter asked me what advice I wanted to leave my students, and I thought about a speech I gave to the 2010 graduates of Canyon High School. Based on the biblical story of Joseph, I titled it “What Graduation Speakers Don’t Tell You.” You can read the whole thing here, or I’ll give you […]
I wrote on the subject before. It was nearly 30 years ago, shortly after our eldest child left home. I said that while letting go was not easy, it was necessary. Children won’t stay young forever and treating them as such helps neither them nor us. And I said that letting go leads to gain […]