I did not know what was happening. When I boarded the bus or the train to work, I would break out in a sweat and my heart would beat so hard that I just knew other people could hear it. I believed I was dying, and I was terrified of dying among strangers. Fellow passengers... Continue Reading →
Through the years, I have been blessed to have wise women placed in my life, just when I needed their sage advice the most. One in particular, Mrs. Carmichael, whom all her boarders called, "Mom," always told me what I needed to hear, rather than what I wanted to hear, although I did not always... Continue Reading →
My children will not invite me to a buffet restaurant these days, because I don't eat enough to justify their costs. As I watch them eat, I am amazed that I raised such gluttons. I mean, they can eat! The problem for me is not that I don't like to eat, because I do, but... Continue Reading →
As a child and, even today, as an adult, I have very few friends. I was a loner as a child, mainly because other children did not play with me. They had good reason not to do so. My mother did not teach my sister and me about hygiene, and because she worked two jobs... Continue Reading →
As I watch people file by and receive the Communion packet of bread and juice, I wonder how many of us simply take the Eucharist on the first Sunday because it is expected. It would be embarrassing, I think, for most people to not take it, even if they do not have a relationship with... Continue Reading →
One day walking home from school with my sister, I had an apple in my hand. Joann asked for a bite, and I said, "No." Suddenly, she snatched the apple out of my hand and threw it in the street, where it was promptly ran over by a car. She felt that if she could... Continue Reading →
If you think that Douglas and I have not struggled with issues of race because we are an interracial couple, you would be wrong! When I think, "Those white people....," I have to remember, Oh, man, I am married to a white man and that not all whites think the same. When he says "the... Continue Reading →
Watching the gondolas swing back and forward in the wind in the French Alps, I opted not to travel to the top of the mountain to see the view. The tour guide told me how beautiful the view was from the top, but I was too scared to ride the gondolas. I told her... Continue Reading →
Research indicates that American employers make decisions based on people's names, especially when those names seem to indicate that the applicant is Black or from low-income homes. Without actually meeting the persons or calling them for an interview to establish their qualities and abilities, studies show that applications are tossed in the garbage, simply because... Continue Reading →
A cancer diagnosis changes a person for good. I still remember the disbelief and fear when I was told I had stage 2 colon cancer. I was just two weeks on the job and had not even taught a class. I just knew they were going to fire me, so that I did not increase... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 