I don't work with my hands. I clack on keys as I write, but what I create is ethereal, not tangible. There are beauty in words, but it's not the same as a thing of beauty that strikes you in each passing step. I have a burst of sun that sits atop the table in my entry hall. It's … [Read more...] about Heart of Haiti in the Heart of Home
Dirt and Noise
Mother Nature’s Marvel
We don't need Earth Day to remind us that Gaia herself rules the world. Have you ever stopped to marvel at nature? It is particularly striking this time of year in North Carolina. There's a rainbow bursting in every yard, between the sidewalk cracks, and peeping … [Read more...] about Mother Nature’s Marvel
It’s Hard to Be a White Man
The other day a guy was lamenting to me about how hard it is to be a white man these days. At first I thought he was being ironic. I mean, he was saying this to me, a brown woman. Hearing these words uttered from the lips of a white man left me feeling perplexed. Was he expecting … [Read more...] about It’s Hard to Be a White Man
Thankful for Shots
We have a long-standing family tradition to say our thank you's before dinner. Instead of saying grace, we hold hands and each share something we are thankful for from our day. The only rule is we cannot say we are thankful for a material object. Last weekend, oddly enough, we … [Read more...] about Thankful for Shots
Eyes Up, Phones Down
I'm going to say something very unpopular here. Prepare for a get-off-mah-lawn rant...I'm tired of kids with cell phones. I'm tired of seeing kids with their fingers pushing buttons or their faces in a screen all the time. I'm tired of the lack of eye contact and reliance on a … [Read more...] about Eyes Up, Phones Down
Come to North Carolina
If North Carolina had a state vehicle, it would be a hand basket. And we're on the highway to hell. North Carolina has been in the national spotlight plenty of times, and I'm not talking about basketball. We have a GOP-run legislature emboldened by its Pope and Koch ties. They … [Read more...] about Come to North Carolina
Writing Prompts for Family Travel Abroad
There's a tin sign perched over a door frame in my family room. It reads "Home -- Where your story begins." I'm heading home, in a sense, though I'll be a stranger in my homeland. We are about to embark on an epic journey. Unlike kids these days, I don't use the word epic … [Read more...] about Writing Prompts for Family Travel Abroad