Side-By-Side Effects — Annie Dixon

Whenever my husband, Ronald, sees me portioning out the pills for the week, he apologizes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to have to do all this,” he says. It’s the same thing…

It’s that time of year when we resolve to improve ourselves and our lives. Ubiquitous articles and television segments offer advice to the masses as we embark on an annual fresh start. Everyone…

Receiving a rare disease diagnosis is not only a life-changing event, it is a life-dividing moment. Suddenly, all the details of life fall into one of two categories: before and after. Every memory…

When I first became my husband’s caregiver on his release from a three-week critical care hospitalization, it was a full-time commitment. Still, I thought I would be able to manage some of my…

The truth is, my husband is a motorhead. Like most of the rest of the world, I think Ronald is a great artist, divinely inspired to create delicate images of profound beauty. But…

We think our lives tend to follow a natural trajectory. Starting as totally dependent infants, we progress slowly toward independence as we mature. As adults, we discover and develop our skills and talents, then…

A four-day weekend, long-distance travel, large family gatherings, and too much food. After a season of solitude, many Americans celebrated Thanksgiving again this year. My husband was not raised with the holiday, having grown…

My jewelry stash is rather small, and most of it is costume. I can’t be trusted with the real stuff, as I have a tendency to lose or break it. It’s not that I…

I came downstairs last Monday morning, feeling better rested than usual. The end of daylight saving time that weekend had given us an extra hour, and I woke up at 6 a.m. more…

We, the columnists at Bionews, have good editors. They catch typos and grammar mistakes that slip through the computer spell checks and syntax filters. Then they read with a critical eye for clarity…

My sister got the worst haircut last week. It’s actually a good cut, just not the one she asked for. She showed the stylist a selfie taken on a good hair day, and said…

Every fall, our religious arts studio exhibits along with half a dozen other specialized vendors at a regional gathering of clergy. In flush times, we distributed gift bags, raffled off prizes, and sponsored…