dad Archives

A Story About a Sailor and Bravery

By Every Family's Got Founder -- Barbara Herel He was a 19-year-old sailor stationed at the naval base on Chincoteague Island in Virginia. He doesn’t remember what started the fight. It was in the barracks. Two sailors were pummeling a third. A friend thought it was best to walk away, to just forget about it. His instincts told him something else. He told the aggressors they had 24-hours to turn themselves in – or he would. In the middle of the night, the sailors attacked him as he slept in his bunk. He went to the hospital. His attackers went [...]

Love, Hugs, Magic, and DNA

By Every Family's Got One Guest Writer -- Heather Osterman-Davis Ethan, just shy of 2, is thrilled to be on a plane. Outside of that, he has no idea why this trip is such a big deal. He doesn’t yet know that our family is complicated or worry about ownership and identity the way his father and I do. To him the world is simple: love, hugs, and magic. This isn’t a vacation. We’re racing to get to Odessa, Texas, before Jeannie, my friend Eddie’s mother, dies. Jeannie is genetically Ethan’s grandmother, though until now we’ve been reluctant to consider [...]