All my bags are packed I’m ready to go I’m standin’ here outside your door I hate to wake you up to say goodbye But the dawn is breakin’ it’s early morn The taxi’s waitin’ he’s blowin’ his horn Already I’m so lonesome I could die. - John Denver, Leaving on a Jet Plane [...]
I took my driver’s license test on my 16th birthday and failed. I share this piece of history not because of the failure – although it does make a good story – but because of the timing. Back in 1984, one could obtain a learner’s permit at 15 years and 9 months so that the [...]
I did not want to be a parent on Saturday night. As I dropped Noah and his buddy off at the homecoming dance, all the insecurities I ever felt in high school came simmering back, like the re-heating a bad meal. Even though all seemed well with the boys, I couldn’t help but fret the [...]
Sometimes I wonder what the neighbors must think. At least once a month, the Mendell Family implodes. One by one, we exit the house, each slamming the door behind us without any concern for who might be on our heels. Next the car doors slam as we all pile in and take off down the [...]
