Learning the names I should have been taught, part 2.

Roman Ducksworth Jr.’s children knew he died, but they didn’t know how. They found out when they each received letters from the Southern Poverty Law Center, wishing to memorialize their father on the Civil Rights Memorial. Roman’s kids found out how he died and why he was considered a martyr around the same time that … Continue reading Learning the names I should have been taught, part 2. →

Seminary recruitment.

I attended a virtual seminary recruitment this week and it left me excited, overwhelmed, hopeful, and hurt. The seminaries didn’t hurt me, but the people who kept me from them. The PCUSA, which I’m now a member of, has been ordaining female pastors since the late 1950s. I wasn’t the only woman in the meeting, … Continue reading Seminary recruitment. →

Paper thin.

Greyhounds aren't like any other breed I've cared for or owned. There are hilarious shirts about 45 mile per hour couch potatoes and purses with silly greyhound outlines. At the dog park, people will come up and ask me what breed she is, because it can be rare to see one. Even working at a … Continue reading Paper thin. →

Breakfast parfait.

I made the granola last night so my son could try a recipe from a video he watched at school. He was so excited to get to work layering his parfait this morning that I needed to remind him to put his glasses on. When it was as good as he had hoped it would … Continue reading Breakfast parfait. →

Anxiety can look like this…

I haven't been formally diagnosed with a skin picking disorder. Most people I know that pick their skin haven't been identified, because skin picking wasn't added to the DSM until several years ago. Skin picking doesn't always occur alone, but instead often with other comorbidities. It happens with anxiety and depression most often, followed by … Continue reading Anxiety can look like this… →

My to do planner.

Anxiety can mess with executive functioning which can look like absentmindedness or forgetfulness. Sometimes, it makes focusing and paying attention extremely hard. This got particularly bad for me after having children. Instead of having one schedule, just my doctors, my clothes, etc., I now had all of that, plus everything that belonged to my kids. … Continue reading My to do planner. →

Covid, kids, and poetry.

My youngest wrote this in May of last year, during quarantine. A classmate caught covid and his class needed to stay home, missing nearly all of the fun end of year activities his teacher had planned. In an effort to keep him entertained while also helping him express his feelings, I asked him to write … Continue reading Covid, kids, and poetry. →

Helping kids who are gifted talk to their friends.

Also in my son's first semester journal was this small but vital true/false quiz regarding communicating and problem solving with peers. First, as a parent, I appreciate this, because most people (or I perceive that most people) don't realize that a person who has been identified as gifted genuinely does interact with their world in … Continue reading Helping kids who are gifted talk to their friends. →

I win.

Bella does not feel that I have failed to put clothes away, but instead succeeded in providing her the most perfect couch bed imaginable.

Festa Confederada

Just as I’m not surprised to see teens flying Confederate flags from their vehicles, unaware of the varied meanings it has and what they’re truly representing, hearing the Lost Cause myth shared with me from others assured of their own beneficence is common in any state that seceded from the United States. Those who believe … Continue reading Festa Confederada →