by Mark O'Brien | Jan 9, 2015
Salem, being the quintessential black cat and all, was convinced that if he hid in this black shelf, snuggled in among Arthur and Andrew’s books, we’d never be able to find him. He gets positively indignant every time we walk by and say hello.
by Mark O'Brien | Jan 5, 2015
My father passed away a year ago today. To say the occasion was life-changing is to do it — and my father — a disservice. It was more like a revelation — a precious, bittersweet reminder of who I am and why: I am my father’s son. All I am I owe to him. His...
by Mark O'Brien | Jan 2, 2015
Every year, in the eight weeks between Christmas and Valentine’s Day, a number of things can be counted on to take place. Each is a measure of our inexplicable humanity: First, the holiday season will vanish, leaving us to realize our spirits are none the kinder,...
by Mark O'Brien | Jan 1, 2015
I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions. They’re as effective as a Band-Aid to the ski-jump guy: They won’t fix anything, nor will they have meaningful or lasting effects. Nevertheless, my New Year’s resolution is to propose some...
by Mark O'Brien | Dec 26, 2014
In 2004, the priest who presided over the high-school graduation of my son, Quinn, said this, acknowledging the myriad difficulties of the age in which the accidents of our births find us in existence: “We are blessed with challenges.” My first reaction...
