Dogs, as we know, learn language from their owners. Our 1-year-old “puppy,” Sebastian, is trying hard to understand what’s being said so that he might respond accordingly. In our household, that can sometimes be a challenge. Ray and I often don’t understand what’s being said by the other.

As we head into Pride Month, I am moved once again to ponder all that I am proud of. My son tops the list, as always — but I am also proud of how we LGBTQ families and our allies have been able to keep pushing towards equality, despite an unprecedented amount of anti-LGBTQ legislation and rhetoric right now.

I was invited to a wedding for a family member, but my mother wasn’t invited. I want to attend, but I’m afraid if my mother finds out that she will be crushed.

In the 1850s, British naturalist Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection. In his book, “On the Origin of Species,” Darwin presented years of data, notations he’d made while observing plants and animals in their natural habitats.