PART I (of 5) This is the first in a five-part series on one family’s international adoption experience. The lights flickered again as a reminder that we would soon be without power for days, perhaps weeks. I sat next to my son, Michael, as he took long, slow drags on his cigarette, and we watched wind-driven whitecaps forming on the creek behind our house.. Sustained …

There is something magical that happens when you hold a tiny infant. This is the reason that, after growing our family to four children and one dog, I forbade my wife from holding other people’s babies. To paraphrase Karl Marx, “Sleeping babies are the opiate of mothers.” The temptation to …

I speak because I like the sound of my own voice,” is a phrase that you don’t ever hear. However, a different take on this, “He must love the sound of his own voice,” is quite common. Why? Those with poor communication skills, who nonetheless speak to audiences (big and …

George Lucas brought us Yoda … without him, Yoda wouldn’t exist – he’s the closest thing we have to Yoda’s dad. But Yoda’s lineage can be traced back even farther, and is quite impressive – but, let’s start at the beginning. On the heels of his success directing the low …