I didn’t see the broadcast of the Grammy Awards on TV Monday. I heard it. And that means I got to hear Stevie Wonder sing the lead to Earth, Wind and Fire’s “That’s the Way of the World” in memory of the band’s co-founder Maurice White. And as if that wasn’t enough, I also got […]

Sometimes, it’s good to feel miniscule and in total awe of a much larger world. It’s liberating. It’s enthralling. So that news last week about physicists detecting gravitational waves was good for the soul and the imagination. Sure, it’s healthy to be reminded of our importance, of our power and responsibility to make a difference […]

I have a part-time job moderating a blog for Easter Seals National Headquarters, and in honor of Valentine’s Day, Easter Seals HQ is devoting the month of February to stories about “love and relationships.” My mission? Recruit people with disabilities (or those who love or have a relationship with someone who has a disability) to […]

On the last day of January, Beth and I finally made it to see blues guitarist Buddy Guy play at his eponymous club. I say finally, because we’ve lived roughly three blocks away for 12 years, and we’ve been to Buddy Guy’s Legends, but we’d never seen the man himself play at his own place. […]

All four of the memoir-writing classes I lead for Chicago senior citizens are in full swing again. Their first assignment? 1966. 93-year-old Wanda Bridgeforth piped up immediately after hearing the prompt. “That was a great year!” She came back the next week with an essay about her daughter, Wanda, Jr. getting married in 1966. “I […]