My uncle is still waiting to die. Last night I woke up and thought about him, lying prone, still and silent, just like me. I imagined him underneath his blankets, breathing in and out softly. But while my own thoughts kept percolating restlessly, I really hoped that his were not. I hoped that he was…

My uncle is in the hospital in Baltimore, hovering between life and death. A few weeks ago he developed a series of infections and had to be hospitalized. Since then there have been serious complications. My father has been with him all week, at his bedside, along with my uncle's wife and my two cousins.…

  Spring is a season of rough edges. The sharp new blades of grass, the itchy, grainy pollen that scratches my eyes. Warmer sunshine begins to streak through the curtains, but when I step out onto the stone patio, there's still a cutting breeze. It's as if new life can only break through with a…