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<p>Several people have asked me, “When’s the last day of school for G3.” Even he wanted to know when the last day is. It’s how society trains us. School starts the day after Labor Day and it ends on a specific date sometime in June. (Yes, I am aware that different parts of the country [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Over the long weekend, New Jersey slashed its capacity rules and tossed its mask mandate. It’s as if the virus has suddenly vanished, as if it is no longer a threat anywhere to anyone. Have people stopped dying? Listening to the news, one might think that is the case, but a simple Google search revealed [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Dear Dad, All weekend I could hear you laughing at me. Since March, we had plans to go camping in Lackawanna State Park during Memorial Day Weekend with the C—- family. Initially, the forecast called for rain only on Friday. One day of rain wouldn’t have been too bad — we’ve endured rain before. However, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Dear Dad, It has been a long time since I’ve had anything published. But today, Margate Bookie launched their new zine — Reset. Included in the issue is an essay about you titled “Crumb Cake.” Not only did they accept my work, the editor asked me to be part of the launch party. Despite my [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Pirates have always intrigued my son. When he was in kindergarten, to celebrate the first hundred days of school, he had to do a project in which he was asked to present one hundred of an object of his choice. He chose pirates. We bought bags full of kiddie plastic pirate coins. I then helped [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Last month, on one of our field trip days, when G3 and I set school aside and went out to have fun instead, we took a trip to Montauk. While there, we took a short hike through Montauk Point State Park. As we were walking, we came to one spot where there was a pool [&hellip;]</p>

<p>&#8220;Very nice.&#8221; That’s what Dad used to say all the time. It was just about the only compliment I could expect. When I posted my photography, he commented, “very nice.” When I got an essay or story published, he’d read it and respond, “very nice.” But to me, “nice” was bland. It’s what people said [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Today, I drove into Queens to visit Mom for the afternoon. I didn’t want her to be alone for Mother’s Day. In our pre-COVID life, I would often bring my son to visit her the weekend before or the week after Mother’s Day so that we could spend more than just a few hours together. [&hellip;]</p>

<p>It is 10:30 at night and my neighbor is having another party. There are at least a dozen kids — late teens or early twenties — gathered around a fire pit talking loudly, getting drunk, and blaring music. I’m pissed off because I’d like to go to sleep. My allergies are worse today than they [&hellip;]</p>

<p>My son is so done with school. He and I are in much need of some time off. Yesterday was rough. We ended up calling it quits early in the school day because he was mopey and cranky. He asked me when the last day of school will be. I told him I don’t have [&hellip;]</p>

<p>“You do realize that you’ve made me write more than any other teacher. In real school, I only had to write three essays, at most, every year. This year, you’ve made me write twenty-one. TWENTY-ONE! All I do is write. And I’m NOT in college.” This has become my son’s mantra. Every day he grumbles, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Since Dad died, I’ve often found myself in a position where I feel I have to choose between being a good daughter and being a good mother. No matter which I choose, at any given moment, I end up feeling guilty. I’m the type of person who often tries to do the ‘right thing,’ but [&hellip;]</p>

<p>For the last several months G3 has been working on a short story. It was not an assignment, just something he felt driven to write. Every day, at his insistence, school begins with twenty minutes (although sometimes he requests extra time) of free writing. He had been using that time to work on what he [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Today, instead of school, I took Mom and my son out for a day of caching. There were two more of the Adventure Lab caches nearby and I figured while we were out we could pick up a few traditional caches as well. Mom, having heard us talk about the Adventure caches, was curious and [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Dear Dad, I’ve kept my promise to G3. We’ve only been having school four days a week instead of five. Today — since the weather forecast said it would be the warmest and sunniest day of the week — we skipped school and drove out to Montauk. The last time we were there was ten [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Thursday was my anniversary (sixteen years) but the day came and went with no celebration. It was just another day. My spouse and I — more so me than her, I suppose — joke about what an awful day we got married. When you look at the “This Day in History,” you see nothing but [&hellip;]</p>

<p>It’s been a year since Dad died. It still doesn’t seem real. I keep hoping that reality will readjust itself, that I’ll wake up and this whole pandemic will just have been a bad dream or a horrible movie. This morning we finally had Dad’s funeral. In order to get to Mom’s house before mass, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Dear Dad, Over spring break, we listened to the Hamilton CD non-stop. For four days in the car, as we drove through New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, it’s all we played until we knew most of the songs and could sing along. Yes, I know, I can hear you in my head making fun of [&hellip;]</p>

<p>I am vaccinated, but unlike so many other people posting on Facebook and other platforms, there is no joy in it for me. I can’t even claim to feel relieved. My shot comes two days shy of the one year anniversary of Dad’s death. Instead of thinking about what this vaccine will mean for me, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Dear Dad, For once — due to the fact that I’m homeschooling G3 and get to make the rules — my spouse’s and my son’s spring break coincided, which meant we got to escape New Jersey for a couple days. You know I love to get away and travel even if it’s still fairly close [&hellip;]</p>