Nearly 12 years ago, I joined a backcountry trail crew for the summer. It changed the entire trajectory of my life.

This is the story of that summer, up on the Bangor Daily News today.

Thank you for reading.

My latest essay is up on RoleReboot today, about one of my greatest fears in raising my daughter. You can read the essay here.

I still don't understand how we can be so cruel to each other sometimes; I like to think that as we get older and wiser we participate less in the destruction and hurt of our fellow human beings (and all beings, for that matter), but it's not always the case and there is so much out of our hands.  This essay looks at youth and hurt, love and forgiveness, and how it all informs the way we live our lives.  Be kind. Be True. Be love.

My latest essay, Life in Reverse, was published on the Washington Post's On Parenting site this morning. With each essay I publish, someone (and sometimes multiple someones) always reaches out to say thank you, to acknowledge that they are not alone, or, like today, to ask questions and ask me to tell them the truth as they look down the same dark tunnel of a spouse's terminal brain tumor diagnosis. I am so grateful to offer my support, my experience, and my knowledge - I know so very deeply some of what they are facing, and it is the least I can do.