We’re getting played

Football has been a staple in my home my entire life. Sunday afternoons and Monday nights, Dad and I sat in front of the television, watching Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, and Emmitt Smith make history. My son played in middle school, and recently, it’s been  the common thread that kept us together when politics threatened to tear us … Read More

Bloom Where You’re Planted

Bloom where you’re planted It means flourishing regardless of circumstances and growing despite your environment. Such sage advice. And yet, so many of us waste precious time thinking, “… if I had a better job/found someone who loved me/made more money/had a bigger house/ etc., I’d be happy.” Or the “I’ll wait to decorate when I get a bigger house/apartment” … Read More

Circle of Empowerment

So many horrible things are happening at whiplash speed. It can leave us with a sense of helplessness and rage. That’s exactly how they want you to feel. So what can we do? Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People teaches how to be productive in the workplace, but it also applies to life. Simply put, to be effective, … Read More

Your Line in the Sand

Cognitive dissonance. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Actually, I’ve been thinking about how we got here, how good, moral people, people I’ve loved for decades, friends, family … people I work with, pray with, used to respect … how can these people support such despicable acts? Where is their line in the sand? This isn’t a political … Read More

The Year of Reclamation

On January 1st, 2023, for the first time in fifteen years, I didn’t write a year-naming blog post. 2022 had left me disillusioned and exhausted. Teaching traumatized children took unimaginable patience and energy. My father struggled with health issues, and continual worry had smothered what little creativity I had left. The only bright spot was my daughter’s decision to change … Read More

Recovering from the Pandemic

This past year has been one for the record books, especially for teachers. Scrambling to create virtual classrooms on the fly while dealing with food and technology disparities for our low socio-economic kiddos was, at times, overwhelming. Prolonged stress had left me burned out and bone-weary. Nothing, not even writing, could pull me from that infernal sense of detachment. My … Read More

Healing Wounds of the Past

When I make bone-headed decisions, or, in the case of this past cortisol-infested pandemic year, lash out because of stress or fear, I remember the wise words of Maya Angelou. The saying is steeped in grace, isn’t it? It allows us to acknowledge our shortcomings, and yet, it gives us hope that maybe we can grow past them and become … Read More

The Year in Review

Those that have followed me for a while know that I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I take one word that encompasses personal growth, a word that I concentrate on every day. I deemed 2020 The Year of Prosperity. And the fates laughed out loud before they wove this past year’s dark threads through the tapestry of time. … Read More

Practicing Gratitude

Every morning I wake with my brain already running full tilt. Thoughts race with everything from creating grocery lists to subplots I should add in the latest work in progress. It’s like my subconscious keeps working while I go to sleep. In college, I’d listen to whatever song I had to memorize before going to bed. In the morning, I’d … Read More

The Life We Choose

There are people in this world that light up a room when they enter it. They live so boldly, love so deeply, and have an ocean of compassion, so much so that it’s a joy just being around them. Ann was such a person. Fierce as a lion with a heart the size of Texas, she was a force all … Read More