I was on the committee to plan the "Searching for Racial Justice"* art exhibit, and to be honest, an exhibit on lynchings wasn't what any of us had in mind. I imagined paintings of unshackled hands, or colors swirled across a canvas. Or maybe black and white photos of faces,… Read full post »

Today was an unexpected vacation day. A pipe burst at our office yesterday, there was a mini flood, and they shut off the water. We made it through the day while the repair men planned and prepared their attack. Today it will be too loud  to hear or think. They promise… Read full post »

I overheard a woman in the health food store tell her friend she hoped someday "joy" would become her "default" emotion. I lingered in the muscle enhancement section, which seemed out of place in a store dedicated to a natural life style. I wanted to hear… Read full post »

The "Searching for Racial Justice" Art Exhibit is disturbing. During non-exhibit hours, the paintings by Suellyn Woodall are draped with black cloth. My ten year old grandson chose not to go because the paintings portray lynchings. His younger brother, chided him. “But it’s your history,… Read full post »

My family did not go to church on Easter Sunday. It was too crowded and my father's parking spot would not be honored by those who didn't know it was his. He might not get his pew either (second row from the back) and he did not want to to to the "Meet &… Read full post »

About a year ago, a friend told me the only message he got when he went on a nine day religious pilgrimage was 'PAY ATTENTION".

That thought stuck and surfaces often. I push it aside because it’s my weakness.  I’ve diagnosed myself with adult Attention Deficit Disorder, though I kno/… Read full post »

The Kennedy Center's First Place "Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award",  is "The Wind and the Breeze" by Nathan Alan Davis.

Yes, I'm proud. And when things like this happen, I remember the doctor who didn't think he should be born.

This doctor, recommended by every… Read full post »

Wasps lived in our attic and found their way into my room. They hit against bare light bulbs with a dull ping. When I heard that sound I escaped and stayed out of my room all day and prayed God would make it go away. When it was bedtime I… Read full post »

Driving to work in the morning rush hour, half listening to the radio, artsy words popped out.  "Imagination"...  "Creativity"...   "Drama". I turned up the volume. Hopefully a story validating the arts. Perhaps Congress suddenly realiz… Read full post »

I’ve heard jokes and snide remarks about Black History Month for years. President Ford was the first president to make it official in 1976. That year I worked in a grade school. Some white teachers asked why an entire month when the material could be covered in less than a we… Read full post »

I used my brothers’ new crayons and wrote every letter I knew on our bare wood stairs. My mother screamed when she found it and blamed my older brothers. She did not accuse me because I wasn't in school yet. My brothers denied involvement, pointed out clues and named th… Read full post »

“You have green eyes.”  He was a poet and never said what he meant outright, and I wanted to impress him with my depth. “Aren’t we all jealous of something?”  I shrugged and looked away, gazed at the campus quad, hoping to look pensive and cute.

We met the nigh… Read full post »

1957

It is the summer before kindergarten. There is a vacation playground program at the neighborhood school. My mother lets me go with my older brothers after lunch. They take too long to eat but if I tell them to hurry they eat slower, so I wait outside to jump and twirl instead of… Read full post »

Years ago, my eight year old son asked, "Do you know how I can tell our country is racist and sexist?" On the drive to school, our conversations were a mix of comedy and philosophy. At the time he was considering becoming a comedic scientist. I didn't know if this was… Read full post »

The trouble with having an imagination is that you imagine things.

I've been planning my husband's funeral for thirty six years. I know where it will be and what we will wear. The clothing choice has evolved. Now he buys tailor-made suits instead of cast-offs from the Goodwill. M… Read full post »

I stopped for gas on my way home and the police brought a young man out of the station in hand cuffs. Around his neck hung a student ID. They took him to the back of the squad car and out of my view.   

Store workers came out for… Read full post »

I celebrated my fifth decade by performing a one-woman show entitled "Mime in Mental Pause." I wasn't there yet. But I was ready. Unrelenting pain, blood clots, and ruined panties were not fun, no matter how I adjusted my attitude. The uni… Read full post »

My son is a writer. We've talked about how we write stories in our head, even when we take a break. We can't stop them.

My daughter-in-love posted this on her page from their apple-picking adventure.

I didn't ask, but am guessing it inspired my son's tweet. 

The week-end my parents moved from their home and into the assisted living facility near me,  Mom sighed and pouted. “I wish we could both die here, right now.”  

“That could be arranged.”

She cried when I said I was joking.

Later she quizzed my&… Read full post »

Growing up with Republicans, I know how vile the talk can be about Democrats. It was so bad during the Kennedy vs. Nixon battle that I cried when Kennedy won. My mother finally agreed to giving me a birthday party, and now the world was going to end. I… Read full post »

On Fridays in French class our teacher let us choose a topic to discuss. It could be anything as long as we spoke French. We started with pets, TV shows, and the Beatles. We tested her by talking about disrespectful teachers, and went on to parents and Vietnam.… Read full post »

The summer before I went to Jr. High I knew it was my last summer being a kid. My next door neighbor was a year older and felt embarrassed playing with me. If her new friends from school came over she abandoned me until they left. That summer… Read full post »