My Blog
[Um, what?] off!
William Hagenbuch
March 11, 2024
On average, I struggle 3.5 days a week with the freedom of speech one driver displays on the back windshield of her car. First the left-hand side of her back window showcased a certain four-letter word. Now the same word is on the right-hand side of the rear window....
A boy’s love for Franklin
William Hagenbuch
February 29, 2024
He’s a cute five-year-old. Floppy brown hair. Heavy brown eyes. Black framed glasses. Smart. Busy. A little OCD. Sometimes a lot of OCD. But yes, he’s nearly always completely adorable. This is my son, Michael. He is the youngest of the five children I adopted on Father’s Day weekend...
Love this Valentine’s
William Hagenbuch
February 13, 2024
Plan a loved-filled evening with me. Which of the following four options sounds amazingly, powerfully, and completely full of love on Valentine’s Day? A corner table for two in an upscale restaurant surrounded by dozens of roses, a topnotch pianist nearby and a truly delicious meal you...
Our children on mute
William Hagenbuch
February 2, 2024
One took over the office. One nestled in the downstairs bedroom. One commandeered the kitchen table. Two were side by side some ten feet apart in the living room. Talk about divide and conquer. They were everywhere. My grade school children stationed themselves throughout the house during Mountain View...
Your message? It’s just that—it’s yours
William Hagenbuch
January 23, 2024
It’s true that you have not been swallowed whole by a big fish. It’s also true that you, like a man swallowed whole by a big fish, have a message to share. Your message is completely unique, completely your own. I’m not sure what your message will be. As for...
When the past shouldn’t be past
William Hagenbuch
January 13, 2024
The word baggage took on an additional meaning at some point this century. Beyond what we used to carry our personal items in (such as a suitcase, duffle bag or carry on), baggage became a heavy, burdensome weight we carry emotionally. This kind of baggage isn’t good, according to therapists....
The crinkled Christmas wrapping paper
William Hagenbuch
December 22, 2023
My mother died of pancreatic cancer on Thursday, December 29, 2022, six months after I adopted five children. My children, now ranging in age from ten to five, are full siblings. We welcomed their full sibling in late August of last year. The baby, who was placed with us...
When you (or they) won’t be home for Christmas
William Hagenbuch
December 7, 2023
If it’s true that home is where the heart is, then anyone who has experienced loss knows this time of year can be bittersweet. What if I share that we can lose the bitterness and create or recreate the sweet? When we consider the saying about home being where...
The trouble with a ‘nice’ Christmas
William Hagenbuch
November 29, 2023
Years ago, I received word that my Christmas Eve service was a little too gritty. Those weren’t Mindy’s exact words (and I’m using Mindy as her name here), but this thoughtful, faithful person made her point clearly: she wanted a blissful, beautiful Christmas complete with carols and candlelight. She...
Leaning on each other: it’s what we do
William Hagenbuch
November 20, 2023
It is what we do. It may even be what we do best. We lean on each other. As we walk right into Thanksgiving and what some seek as a razzle dazzle Christmas that follows, we realize some of our relationships are good and some of our relationships are,...
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