I know it's hard. You may feel overwhelmed. Or attacked. Unfairly accused. Frustrated. Threatened. And tears may come to your eyes. They may spill over and leak down your cheeks. That is okay. Crying is okay, and is not a signal of weakness. (Not that there's a problem with weakness, either. Strength looks different from… Continue reading A Tearful Admission
Tag: learning
The Myth of Ready
As a young girl scout in the mid-1980s, our motto was drilled into us: "Be Prepared." On my honor, I will try... That mindset has always been an ideal for me, and has - in my better moments - shaped me to always have a snack or extra tampon in my purse, a stick of… Continue reading The Myth of Ready
Do I believe my own message?
Confessions of an Overthinker: I'm not sure I believe my own message enough to wear the shirt. Ok, so yeah, I bought it and I'm going to wear the shirt. It's soft, gorgeous, the best kind of warm in wintertime, and... most of me believes the message it is (and I am) sharing. (And for… Continue reading Do I believe my own message?
Grace for the Voices
"Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes." This quote, attributed to a social activist named Maggie Kuhn, has always been a personal favorite encouraging reminder. If we have a conviction... a stirring of our heart... a passionate belief, why can it still be so hard to speak out? To share our minds, hearts, words?… Continue reading Grace for the Voices
Feel how you feel
Dear 13yo: The world will throw a lot of stuff at you, and ask you to smile anyway. Feel how you feel. You'll be asked to tone down your responses and smooth over and buff out your frustration. Feel how you feel. You'll be asked to lower your voice, censor your heart, be "a lady."… Continue reading Feel how you feel
Burn baby burn
My girl, a new 13 years of age, is hurting. It's not heartbreak. Or friend frustrations. Or the all-consuming emotional pain of teen angst. Those things will undoubtedly come. But today, it's a bad sunburn, and it happened quickly. Owwwww. Mama wanna fix this. It came from a great afternoon of playing in Lake Michigan… Continue reading Burn baby burn
Allyship: Reporting for Discomfort
Believe it or not, I thought about aspects of this post for a while and began composing it on January 6 ... or what ended up being the day of the "showdown" on the Capitol. I'd been reflecting on ways to process some big thoughts about on-going racism in America, confronting that being an ally… Continue reading Allyship: Reporting for Discomfort
alive. awake. uncomfortable. 