The Grass Is Green Enough

He pulled up in the driveway that spring day in March 2018 with a huge grin on his face. “What do you think?” He asked. “It’s nice.” Adam had just bought the white Ford F-150 in Oroville the day before. He came down to Lincoln to show Don and I, and we went out to lunch at Panda Express to celebrate. He loved that truck. Took it camping, off-roading, you name it. I’m forever grateful to my sister and brother-in-law for storing it on their property after he died because I couldn’t look at it without falling apart. Eventually, the lender came and took it back. But it hasn’t left my memory. Did you know that there are about a million and one white Ford F-150s on the road these days? I see them everywhere. On my way to work. On my way home. I can’t get on the freeway without being surrounded by them. To be honest, I was getting angrier and angrier every time I saw one. Seriously? I can’t take this! This went on for months. I was recently talking to a friend about it. “I n

Today is Veterans Day, a day that celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. Certainly, all those who have served our country should be celebrated and honored. My dad, grandpa, Don’s dad, grandfather, and uncle Don to name a few. We have the life and freedoms that we do because of their sacrifice. They are all heroes. But to be totally honest, I don’t feel much like celebrating anything today. You see, six months ago today, our son lost his battle with mental illness. In a strange way, I feel like my family and I are war veterans, too, but we didn’t go into the military. Instead, we fought a very private war. It was scary and frustrating and complicated and exhausting. Some days, it looked like our kind and smart boy – a son/nephew/cousin/grandson/sibling/friend - was going about his life fine. Working as a computer programmer, enjoying his love of gaming or hiking, just doing his own thing. Other days, we had a sneaking suspicion that things weren’t what they appeared