May the Angels lead thee into Paradise; may the Martyrs receive thee at thy coming and take thee to Jerusalem, the holy city. May the choirs of the Angels receive thee, and mayest thou with once poor Lazarus, have rest everlasting. Amen. The Old Country The grass still had dew upon it; the sun hadn’t rose enough to lift it away. Instead, the sun turned the tops green hills of the Polish countryside golden and … Continue reading →

Overseas I was sitting at home, by the fire listening to the radio when I heard what happened. The Japs attacked one of our military bases on the island of Hawaii. I was sitting in my arm chair, finishing reading the Sunday paper and I didn’t hear the first announcement. Gus did, he leaned over to the radio and turned the dial up. The voice of the man reporting made it clear that this was … Continue reading →

May the Angels lead thee into Paradise; may the Martyrs receive thee at thy coming and take thee to Jerusalem, the holy city. May the choirs of the Angels receive thee, and mayest thou with once poor Lazarus, have rest everlasting. Amen. The grass still had dew upon it, the sun hadn’t rose enough to lift it away. Instead, the sun turned the green hills of the Polish countryside golden on top and dark on … Continue reading →

The neighbors talk about the old country in a way that makes me picture everything about it overlaid with a golden screen. It’s always ‘in the old country this’ or ‘in the old country that’ and you would think that these people were crazy for leaving such a beloved land. Not me. No, don’t think that I don’t miss Poland. I do very much. But I look around me here in Chicago and I realize … Continue reading →

Michael was born first, that’s just how it happened. In the three and a half years before I was born I’m told Michael was treated as a prince. There are shoe boxes full of photos to confirm this. Photo albums are stuffed with Michael’s chubby, smiling face sitting above Mickey Mouse shirts and his bare chest. One photo in particular comes to mind with Michael in a blue and gray sweater and jeans. His hair … Continue reading →

Michael was born in June 1984. He was the first born. Lizzi followed twenty-three months later in 1986. More than three and a half years after Michael, I was born. In the three and a half years before I was born I’m told Michael was treated as a prince. There are shoe boxes full of photos to confirm this. Photo albums and boxes are stuffed with Michael’s chubby, smiling face sitting above Mickey Mouse shirts … Continue reading →

Michael was born in June 1984. He was the first born. Lizzi followed twenty-three months later in 1986. More than three and a half years after Michael, I was born. In the three and a half years before I was born I’m told Michael was treated as a prince. There are shoe boxes full of photos to confirm this. Photo albums and boxes are stuffed with Michael’s chubby, smiling face sitting above Mickey Mouse shirts … Continue reading →

Michael was born in June 1984. He was the first born. Lizzi followed twenty-three months later in 1986. More than three and a half years after Michael, I was born. In these three and a half years Michael was treated as a prince, I’m told. The shoe boxes full of photos confirm this. Albums and boxes are littered with Michael’s chubby, smiling face sitting upon Mickey Mouse shirts and his bare chest. One photo in … Continue reading →

Sept 3 Dear journal, Hi, it’s Kevin. I don’t want to write in this by Mr. Munroe is making us write for fifteen minutes in homeroom every day. I don’t know if I like him yet. He keeps talking about us recording the freshman experience. I don’t like it. Why should I be forced to write if I’m not a writer? I think tomorrow I will see if I can get away with drawing instead … Continue reading →

“That was ‘Take a Chance on Me’ by ABBA. We’ll be back with Tiger James and Mack in the Morning after these words from our sponsor. When was the last time you had the shingles on your roof replaced?” Richard reached over from the bed and slammed his hand down on the alarm clock. He knew if he hit the snooze button he’d have to listen to the morning talk again, so he made sure … Continue reading →