The Detective and The Case of the Missing Lol
Former police detective writes about life, death, and coffee.
I remember the moment when Andre was first diagnosed with cancer. We all waited and hoped for a miracle before the results came. His mom had cancer at the same age so the idea that one of her kids might get it too was always in the back of our mind. I know now that... Continue Reading →
Thirty Miles. It's the length of the Island of Guam. That's a U.S. territory for those of you that slept through history class in high school. That's all I remember about it now. Thirty miles. Something about us invading it, then losing it, then getting it back again also lingers in my mind when I... Continue Reading →
It's September again and time to focus our efforts on supporting those whose lives have been touched by childhood cancer. Today and every Wednesday this month, supporters of this cause will meet in McAllen, Texas to take a walk together and bring some publicity to this fight. In its sixth year now, The Gold and... Continue Reading →
It is a fearful thing, to love what death can touch.-Yehuda HaLevi My sister died a few days ago. We didn't see each other much. My dad was married twice and had a whole set of kids before me and my immediate brothers and sisters were born. They were all grown before we came along... Continue Reading →
On this day three years ago, I sat in Dr. Juan Bernini's office at Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children's Cancer & Hematology Clinic as he told me and other family members that Andre, the cutest little 4-year-old boy in our world, had leukemia. He pointed to a screen on a computer and showed us a... Continue Reading →
"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."- Mr. Rogers I know who you are. You are the person that can’t help but tear up every time you hear the song “Fight Song”. You can’t see a small child with a beanie cap covering their entire scalp without wondering if they... Continue Reading →
My mother died on a Wednesday in September almost 13 years ago at the age of 66. Lauren, my youngest, was almost 6 years old at the time . They were very close. Lauren actually reminds me of mom a lot. They both shared a kindness towards people in need that I think is rare.... Continue Reading →
There was a short period of time, when I was very young, that I believed only people I didn’t know would die. To be sure, I had no real idea what “die” meant, but it never happened to people I knew. And then, one day, it did. I don’t remember who the first person was,... Continue Reading →
I saw my dad yesterday. I saw him walking downtown on Main Street in McAllen. He had on his khaki pants and a dark blue shirt on with the "Rodriguez Auto Accessories" emblem on it. He was wrapped a thin light brown jacket and walked with his hands in his pants pocket like he always... Continue Reading →
