Category Archives: Essay
Graces Like Mercies
The Hard Parts
I was preparing to leave my dad’s hospital room. He was very sick with cancer and other complications. He had suffered and recovered from setbacks that required surgeries, but he couldn’t seem to shake everything. Blood clots were his problem four years earlier and he still was plagued with them. We saw him [...]
Dillard University Reunion Class of 1958
Mother’s Day with Mom
This past Mother’s Day weekend, I met up with my mother in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was there to celebrate with her Dillard University graduating class, their 50th Reunion. It is a big deal to the University as it may be at other universities as well. And it was special to classmates. [...]
Poetry Just Because
You may be wondering what’s with all the poetry. Poetry is a lovely way to tell stories. And since it’s April, and writing poems is a joy for me, I thought I’d step it up a bit for the last few days of the month.
You see, April is National Poetry Month. It’s a time when [...]
Resisting the Feeling that I’m Not Enough
I suffered an invisibility crisis. Being unappreciated was an associated feeling. It wasn’t from passing insecurities, but from the words. And I marveled again at how cutting and devastating they can be. I may have been out of practice because it’s been a while since anyone hurt my feelings. But just a brief sentence sent [...]
Hope–What a Concept!
Yes We Can
Obama 2008
Isn’t hope the foundation from which we all move forward no matter what we’re undertaking?
It never occurred to me that anyone could find it effective to take a hardline stance against HOPE. What makes a person run for office if not hope? What makes a citizen vote if not hope? Explain to [...]
I Had a Great Time in the 2008 Grammy’s Home Audience
I don’t generally watch the Grammy Awards show, not without flipping channels a lot. But for some reason, it appealed to me this year. From the beginning, I was entertained. Alicia Keys’ opening with Frank Sinatra was great. Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli were fantastic. Several times throughout this 50th Grammy Awards show, I caught [...]
The Break
Everyone was arguing and part of me wanted to join the verbal fray. Someone yelled, “I hate the way she…” when my attention was snatched away by a loud crash in the next room. I missed the last part of the statement. We all went to see what happened.
From the doorway, I could see pieces [...]
We The People Said Yes Please, and Thank You
I wrote this in February, before the unfortunate folly that was Bobby Jindal’s response to the President’s address, before the R-leader bowed to the radio personality, before a man got air time and said the words “…The people want bipartisan leadership; they may not know what that means…” and on. Let’s just say that since [...]