Mack D. Ames
Bio
Tongue-in-cheek humor. Educator & hobbyist writer in Maine, USA. Mid50s. Emotional. Forgiven. Thankful. One wife, 2 adult sons, 1 dog. Novel: Lost My Way in the Darkness: Jack's Journey. https://a.co/d/6UE59OY. Not pen name Bill M, partly.
Stories (75)
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Are you enough?
The front of my favorite hoodie proclaims in simple letters, "You are enough." Several weeks ago, I began listening to a book during my daily commute. The premise of the book rejects the message on the front of my hoodie. It claims that it is harmful to tell someone, "You are enough," as if saying that puts a burden too much to bear upon him or her. The author says, "'You are enough' means that 'you must be able to bear up in every circumstance without the help of anyone else. How is that a kind idea to convey?'"
By Mack D. Ames11 days ago in Motivation
Bidding Adieu to M. French
December 31, 2025 Bidding Adieu to Monsieur French: Brief comments to a retiring colleague Martin, as I told you yesterday, I believe it is always better to write out one's thoughts ahead of time to avoid stumbling over one's words. Ever since my first big meeting with the Christian school parents when I couldn't decide whether to say that "I felt as though I'd already met everyone" or "I feel as though I'd already met everyone" and came out with "I feel like I already felt everyone," I knew that prewritten comments were the way to go.
By Mack D. Amesabout a month ago in Education
Is there a spin doctor in the house?
Kristi's dimpled smile and black curly hair had floated in my mind's eye for years. We were classmates and friends, but whenever I thought of her, my heart pitter-pattered, and I knew I had to ask her out soon. A month after I obtained my driver's license, I finally took my chance.
By Mack D. Ames2 months ago in Humans
Farewell to KJ. Top Story - October 2025.
March 18, 2025. 2:20 AM. Text Message: "Kathy is now in the arms of Jesus." It's mid-October 2025, and I sit in my classroom across the hall from where Kathy used to sit every day. We used to wave to each other, and she would come over to my room for a brief chat, a cup of coffee, or both. She was hired to fill a teacher opening that had been unfilled for more than two years, and she took up her duties with great enthusiasm. We became friends quickly, but in late 2023, we had a dust-up that injured feelings and caused us to be estranged for several months. When I finally came to my senses and sought to make peace, she was more than ready to forgive, and I'm so glad we did.
By Mack D. Ames4 months ago in Humans
1:57
Three electric fans stir the air to keep the staleness at bay. A radio squawks at my left elbow, "Dorm 1 to Moulton," and I lose interest in the mundane conversation. Behind filing cabinets and covered windows, a TV bleeps out expletives for whatever afternoon talk show the inmates are watching or left playing for background noise. 1:57 is that time of day when I find out if my next two hours will be spent teaching or waiting for my day to end.
By Mack D. Ames5 months ago in Education
When is a lie not okay?
When is a lie not okay? For the third time this morning, I wipe tears from my eyes that leak from my broken heart. On the dry-erase board behind me are the words of hope that explain how to pass the high school equivalency exams. The young and old men locked up in this institution grasp for control of their present and future, having long since lost it in their past. Unlawful behaviors of every type imaginable -- and some unimaginable -- bring them to this fork in the road of custody and decision. Every type. I hold out hope, but I am not naive. I seek to serve, but I keep my guard. And days like this break my heart.
By Mack D. Ames6 months ago in Humans
