Digest this.
The April issue of Reader's Digest will include a feature story called Legacy of Angus, detailing the loss of our son Angus, and Jasper's difficult struggle through intensive care. It's my perspective on the period -- a dad's point of view. There is so little information out there for men who are grieving. After Angus died, the hospital social work department gave Suzy a binder of resources. In it was a small three-panel brochure: Dad's are sad too. That was it! I really hope my article will help other men who face the loss of a child.

The folks at Reader's Digest have been incredibly supportive of the article, and have treated us with great sensitivity. Last week we spent a day at home with a photo crew who came to snap some shots to accompany the story. We have also been asked to provide some personal photos to complement the story. The following collection was compiled from our scrapbooks. Jasper has come so far!

>> See the photo album: Jasper Grows.

>> Review the incredible photography portfolio of Pierre St-Jacques.
>> Imagination Photo Services set up the photo shoot.
>> Readers Digest

"Ooh, Elmo getting so tired of waiting!"

My private hell. A Sesame Street CD is trapped in Suzy's computer in her office, just outside my door. Elmo, the red furry monster with spindly legs and a "kick me, I'm stupid" lisp, is waiting for me to click on his belly to unleash untold magic spells (and other kiddie horrors). I can't get the CD out, and even the reboot doesn't work. I've decided to wait to see if the programmers slipped in a sequence that kicks in after a long period of inactivity. I figure they knew that if nobody has touched the mouse for half an hour it means there are no adults around. And if the CD is still playing it probably also means the kids are still in the room. So maybe Elmo's real personality and moral lessons begin at this point. Waiting to find out is eery. Elmo is getting desperate. I'm afraid to go back out there.

"Hello? You there? Please, play with Elmo!"

My brother is a big Grover fan. I'll have to check with his new wife Sharon, but I think he still sleeps with a ratty "life-sized" Grover he had as a child (life sized meaning the size of a four year old). Lowell swears that Elmo is the Anti-Christ, or at least the Anti-Grover -- a less sophisticated and dim-witted shadow of his blue-haired hero. It seems that Grover gets less air time now that Elmo's around. Maybe it's a union thing or his wage demands became unrealistic when they made him "Super Grover". So typical. When Jasper was born Lowell made me promise that our house would be an Elmo-free zone, so I'll have to have a talk with Suzy -- after we figure out how to get the CD out.

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>> Lowell and Sharon sent me new photos of their house in Calgary. They put in a new floor in the kitchen, and made some other changes. Click here to see the photos.
>> Review the before-reno photos here.

>> Click here to access the Walden Cabin article archive.