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
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
Today I will join a friend in swimming 11 miles in open water, hugging the coast of my next-door neighbor island. My friend and fellow swimmer created the Swim of Hope as an act of love and support for a fellow swimmer, who is living with pancreatic cancer. I am swimming for my friend Keith … Continue reading Say it, then do it
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
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?
(Note: the quotes in this piece are from a transcription of an interview with Sgt. Rob Taylor in Khenjekak, Afghanistan, C. Co. on February 2012. Sgt. Rob Taylor. Born Neville, NJ. August 1, 1981.) This time last year I was heading for a two-day interview at Syracuse University. On the drive through western Massachusetts, I got … Continue reading Remembering Rob Taylor
In transit. In the past couple weeks, that’s a phrase that’s popped up often. My mail. The planets. My sister. I left Rhode Island in a hurry. My sister would be coming home from the hospital; the doctors said there was nothing more they could do. I joined my family to prepare her home for … Continue reading In Transit
I found this little card this morning. A drawing of a tiny boat being tossed on high curly waves, teetering atop the tallest crest, heading into a horizon with a low, dark cloud looming, tucked in the upper left corner of the frame. It has two simple words etched at the base of that middle, … Continue reading have faith
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