Category Archives: family

Eulogy

[I read this aloud at the funeral service for my mom, Virginia Swedberg, October 29, 2022] The New York Times keeps a database of obituaries for famous people who are still alive. That way, when someone dies, they can just … Continue reading 

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Byberry

A few years ago while spelunking in my mother’s basement, looking for long-forgotten family treasure, I came across a stack of photocopied newspaper articles from the 1980s fastened together by a rusty paperclip. The articles, both fascinating and horrifying, reported … Continue reading 

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Things we’re good at and things we like

Now that my kids are getting to an age at which their proclivities are becoming more defined, I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes us good at things and what makes us like things. I’ve heard people claim that … Continue reading 

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Goodbye, Edgar

It all happened much more quickly than Sara and I had expected. We put our 1993 Volvo 240 Wagon on Craigs List last week, and within two hours it was sold. In addition to the guy who bought the car, three others called to ask if they could check it out…

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Apples

I started writing this thing a month ago with some lame generalization about how kids behave radically differently from one minute to the next while they all pretty much look their age. But I couldn’t sustain the thought, and I’m not even sure I believe it, so I’m just going to relate a little anecdote about Ben and Sara that occurred earlier this summer.

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Happy Anniversary

Some people like to propose marriage in a public way — a banner pulled by an airplane, a radio call-in request, an electronic marquee at a ball game. When I asked Sara to marry me nineteen years ago, I chose a more private setting: the front steps of the dormitory where we had first met. The actual proposal was merely a formality anyway, since we had discussed getting married for the previous eight months or so.
My attitudes about self-revelation have changed quite a bit over the years, and the change, I admit, has coincided with the Internet Age and its ubiquity of online information about everything and everyone. But here is one thing I know I’d want to shout from the rooftop of my house if I didn’t have this virtual rooftop …

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The Candidate Who Shall Not Be Named

If it weren’t for my father-in-law, I’d have no idea that Ralph Nader is running for President of the United States. That’s right, folks: Nader is running again, he’s on the ballot in 45 states, and my father-in-law is a supporter. After reviewing the Vote Nader web site, reading about his views on a number of issues, and watching a handful of videos of him speaking, I have to admit that Nader almost has my vote. He at least has me thinking more about some of the issues that I care about, such as…

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Sara Is Dining with Squirrels

Last year I bought a little gift for my wife, Sara: a domain name and free web development services. Two days ago she used it for the first time, writing about the kids going off to school in her brand-new blog, Dining with Squirrels. It was worth the wait…

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Quick Update

Now that the brunt of the holiday chaos is winding down, I thought I’d pause a moment to capture some of the past month’s moments that I told myself I should jot down…

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The Best Birthday Present Ever

It’s my birthday today. I’m 40 years old. And I feel surprisingly young. When I got home from work this evening, Sara presented me with the best birthday present I’ve ever received — a stack of emails from friends in response to one that Sara had written to them. Here is what she wrote to them:

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