The Talk With My Dad

March 22, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

A year ago this week, we moved back into the log house. In the midst of many challenging things in life, this has been a great joy for us all. Here and there, throughout the year, I’ve posted “This Week in Home Improvement” posts here on FB. This is probably the last one. Over the […]

Dad’s March Madness Brackets

March 19, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Since we’re in the midst of March Madness, I thought I’d post these. These are treasures we found while cleaning out Mom and Dad’s house. They’re Dad’s hand-crafted brackets from the mid 1960s that he used to keep track of the tourney. Some NCAA. Some NIT. Some hand written. Some typed. The last one is […]

Nevertheless, She Persisted

March 12, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

As we continue through Women’s History Month, it’s worth remembering that this year’s theme is: “Nevertheless, she persisted.” That phrase has its origins in national politics, but it’s spread well beyond that now. I’ve seen it on protest signs, t-shirts, tattoos and even cross-stitch. It’s come to symbolize both the broader struggle of women, historically, […]

If I Only Had a Gun

February 23, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

OK, since the President and #NRA are continuing to push the ridiculous idea of a “good guy with a gun,” it’s time to share “If I Only Had A Gun” from 20/20. It’s sadly several years old, but it makes the crucial point aabout how the average “good guy with a gun” cannot possibly be […]

#StudentsStandUp

February 22, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

I cried last night, watching video of the #StudentsStandUp protests from around the country. It was the first time in several years I have allowed myself to cry after a mass shooting. Probably the first time since Charleston, if I am being specific. I have not been able to cry because I have become incredibly […]

The Guilt That We Survive

February 9, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Here’s a new song from me. Hope you like it. “The Guilt that We Survive” It’s the rookie who just made the team Whose old friends now just watch and dream It’s the CEO who’s upward bound With a brother stuck in her hometown It’s the Dreamer with her new degree Whose Abuela still long to be free […]

“Mulligans,” Grace, Trump and Dreamers

January 31, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

I’ve been completely speechless for several days, after seeing this video featuring several local women, supporting Donald Trump, and excusing his affair with a porn star, and doing so based mostly on their so-called Christian faith. The American view of Christianity was already in tatters *before* Trump came along. In the past decade, the number […]

Airport Protests: One Year Later

January 28, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

I took the first of these pictures one year ago tonight, as I first arrived at DFW Airport, for what would become known as the “airport protests.” My dear Muslim friends, Alia Salem and Omar Suleiman has urgently texted us just as the Sun was setting on a Saturday night, to let us know that […]

Beauty From “Shithole” Countries

January 13, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

Two works of art from “shithole” countries, both displayed prominently in their usual place, above the couch in our living room. At bottom right, next to the light switch, a small painting I bought on my trip to El Salvador. On the left, a larger painting that the people of Petit-Guave Haiti gifted me with, […]

You’re Not Doing It Wrong

January 2, 2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

So, I actually figured out one resolution that I DO have for 2018: I resolve to block, ban, and otherwise ignore the “You’re Doing it Wrong” memes and videos. You know the ones I’m talking about. They’ve been around for several years. “10 Ways You’re Folding Your Sheets Wrong…” “6 Ways You’re Brushing Your Teeth […]