Author: Ron Stempkowski
You’re Welcome, John Hughes
Growing up in the 80s was special. In many ways. It was special because we were forced to interact with other, decades before the age of the smartphone. There was no internet, no tablets, no 24/7 news... Read More
The Matriarch
Ken was part of a wonderful family. When I entered said family in the early 2000s, Ken’s gram, Anne, reigned over it. Her home in Michigan City, Indiana, was the hub of family gatherings every holid... Read More
Jurassic Canyon: A Starved Rock Adventure
I’ve written about Starved Rock before (here and here). It’s a beautiful state park 100 miles southwest of Chicago. I’ve gone hiking there several times this year. But last weekend, ... Read More
Dear Dad: A Year of Truths
Dear Dad, A year? I still shake my head. How could it be a year since you died? My unstoppable, force-of-nature father. The man who I’m named for. The man who I get my height and my blues eyes from.... Read More
Honoring the Day
June 1 used to feel like a prison of the worst kind. The kind I was forced to visit annually. And be held there for 24 hours, reliving the events of 2011 when Ken died. Dread for the following year be... Read More
The Return of Super Woman
When I walked into the Oncology Department of the hospital with my mom, we were greeted by a masked figure in a cape. It was my sister, Shelli. Or Super Woman as we’ve taken to calling her. I bought... Read More
When Bloggers Collide
Being a writer is foundational to who I am. It’s integral. And it’s given me gifts over the years, and certainly played a key part in helping me to work through my grief when Ken died in 2011.... Read More
