My friend Keith has been counting the days to his son’s graduation for years. Michael will speak at his graduation from the College of Engineering at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. tomorrow, on Friday, May 19, 2023. On Sunday, he will graduate with the Class of 2023 in a commencement ceremony on the National … Continue reading #withkeith
Outside the Box, by Cheryl Hatch. Copyright 2016 NOTE: I am reposting this piece on June 5, 2022, to honor and remember photojournalist David Gilkey. Wheels up. My friend David Gilkey sent me a text as he left Washington, D.C. last March. He’d already posted a photo of sunrise from his plane window as he … Continue reading Wheels Up, David
By Cheryl Hatch Copyright 2021 In early December, I was heading to work when I noticed the pink clouds in the eastern sky. I took a detour to watch the sunrise at Surfer’s End at Sachuest Beach. I spot a small, freshly-cut Christmas tree hunkered in the sand near the sea wall, tucked in near … Continue reading A Beach, A Tree, Some Comfort and Joy
My cousin sent me a text a few days ago to tell me her mother, my aunt, was in the hospital. She sent an update later. Her mother would be moved to compassionate care. “We are not going to win this one.” I immediately began searching my memories. When was the last time I’d seen … Continue reading Suddenly, it’s the last time
In a couple weeks, my friend Christina and I will swim 11 miles, a feat neither of us has ever done. Christina named it the “Swim of Hope.” I take my inspiration for this swim from my friend Christina who created it on behalf of our friend Keith, who is living with hope and pancreatic … Continue reading Swim of Hope
Last week, I showed up at the cove to swim. One fellow swimmer was there. We stood on the higher ground and surveyed the situation: we couldn’t see anything but fog. We couldn’t see any of our usual markers: not our first stop, the blue boat on the far side of the cove, none of … Continue reading In the fog
My mom insisted on carrying her husband’s ashes on our United Airlines flight from Houston on Memorial Day weekend. A hard and heavy thing to carry, literally and emotionally. A sealed plastic box with the cremated remains of the man she’d married and shared her life with for 62 years. I’m sitting in the seat … Continue reading Bringing her husband home
The other day I started a message to a beloved friend. I typed “how are you feeling?” Hang on, I thought. Is this the question I really want to ask? Is this the question I want to ask to this man I love? This man does not live with me. We are separated by an … Continue reading What are you feeling?
A couple months ago, I was sitting in a Southwest Airlines wheelchair, waiting to preboard my flight. Passengers were disembarking in one long, hurried rush. Suddenly, I felt a jolt of pain and screamed. A young woman, dragging her wheelie bag in her right hand and reading the phone in her left, had slammed into … Continue reading Screaming to be Seen
Twitter is replete today with posts about #MilitarySpouseAppreciationDay. I didn’t know a thing about it. In a quick search, I found “A Proclamation on Military Spouse Appreciation Day, 2021,” from the White House. As an Army brat, I feel the same way about Military Spouse Appreciation Day as I do about Earth Day: every single … Continue reading Appreciating Military Spouses
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