Dads and Motherless Daughters

I’ve had my dad for 44 years. Because my mom’s been gone for 29 of those years, that length of time has been important to me in unique ways. He’s not perfect. But he’s been present and available for my entire life. He’s had to be Dad

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Suicide Isn’t Selfish

This morning I’m sipping tea from my wedding china: the sleek-and-elegant Noel Alabaster, designed by the late Kate Spade. News outlets were quick to tell us she ended her life. It’s easy, in the wake of suicide, to look for explanations and labels, to tie things up

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Why Classical-Christian Schooling?

Excellent public schools, world-class libraries, pristine parks and green spaces—this is the stuff of a young family’s dream. It’s also the stuff of Naperville, one of Chicago’s southwest suburbs. Families flock to Naperville because of the strong reputation of its public schools. It’s also home to some

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Book Review: Lilac Girls

A friend of mine and I recently launched a book club. We’re a small band of readers bent on sharing our perspectives on excellent literature. Our first title is Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly’s debut novel. It’s a brilliant work. Bravo to Kelly for her extensive research.

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Home for Christmas

Chicago is my home. I wasn’t born here, but I’m from here. Usually, where we’re from means where we were born. But that’s not the case for everyone. It’s not for me. Home is the place that shapes and influences us more than anywhere else. It’s a

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Affliction + Hope

We all face affliction; we all need hope. Affliction breeds the strongest hope. We may not realize it while we’re stuck in the mire, but it’s there we build strength. Strength that’ll one day bolster others–sometimes sooner than we realize. I talk about this in my book,

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