Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Category: Writing
Dumb Luck
There are people who make a living figuring out the right adoption ‘matches’. Who’s right for who? Can this kid’s needs be met by these prospective parents? Will this kid fit into these parents’ lives? Science. Social work. Analysis. For no apparent reason, this… Continue Reading “Dumb Luck”
Boy in the Orange Sweater
I’ve never forgotten the boy in the orange sweater. I don’t know his name. I never talked to him. He was maybe 7 or 8. He was small and, I think, maybe blind in one eye. And he was so lonely. His loneliness was his… Continue Reading “Boy in the Orange Sweater”
Dew I Know You?
I’ve had a really bad attitude about Mountain Dew ever since I watched a PBS special about dental issues in Appalachia. So seeing my son walk into a funeral with a half-drunk MD in the back pocket of his jeans really put me around the… Continue Reading “Dew I Know You?”
Orphan Shoe
We did almost everything wrong, right from the start. My husband landed in Managua in the middle of a huge international dispute — appearing in Nicaragua to bring home our new son, Nelson Ernesto Bravo, the same day in 1986 as Gene Hasenfuss, a CIA operative… Continue Reading “Orphan Shoe”
I Got Your Back, Baby
My girl Jhosy is one tough cookie. Tough cookie, as in if I was in a dark alley and could pick only one buddy – I’d vote for Jhosy over some big muscle guy. Because she’s got grit, like you wouldn’t believe. The… Continue Reading “I Got Your Back, Baby”
Surprise
It was impossible to be happier than we were when our boys were little. Because of times like these but also because we were lucky and we knew it. This day at the beach in Marathon, Florida Keys, has stuck with us for a… Continue Reading “Surprise”
Hair
Hair was always a big thing in our house. A really big thing. Son Joe, adopted from Nicaragua at the age of 17 months, came with a sweaty mop of curly hair and a bald spot on the back of his head from laying in his crib all… Continue Reading “Hair”
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
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