My middle son Jeffrey died four years ago today. This is him holding his baby brother August the prior fall. Among the numerous cruelties of Jeff's death is that August (now 5) will never have the chance to get to know him.Then there are the little ironies. This afternoon Nazareth played Cortland in lacrosse (a thorough thrashing, it must be said, by Cortland). At half-time we learned - via loudspeaker - that my oldest son Douglas's hard work has paid off. He was named the Nazareth Scholar-Athlete of the year from his team; the award goes to a player who is integral to the team and puts in strong academic performance as well. There is no one who would be prouder of Doug's accomplishment than Jeffrey.
