Daily writing promptDescribe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.View all responses The last day of teaching at the college was one of pure ambivalence. I was ready to leave the workplace, but I didn't want to lose my sense of purpose. I worked for twenty-three years at the telephone company,... Continue Reading →
No One Should Ever Be Called Stupid!
Daily writing promptIf you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?View all responses It's tough enough to be at the mercy of adults, to have to answer to people who often don't know what they are doing. But to try your best and be called names is soul-defeating... Continue Reading →
Moving to Europe and Leaving My Family Will Be Hard, But I Want to See the World
Daily writing promptWhat is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?View all responses Last year, when I told my daughter that my husband and I planned to move to Portugal this year, I thought she would tell me not to go, that, as the matriarch of the family, I was needed.... Continue Reading →
Surviving in the Wilderness: Making the Impossible Happen
Daily writing promptIf there were a biography about you, what would the title be?View all responses If someone were to write a biography about me, they would focus on all that I have survived that seemed impossible at the time the events were occurring. Each chapter would tell a story of persistence, determination, and, above... Continue Reading →
Fear of Rejection Leaves Book Undone
Daily writing promptSomething on your "to-do list" that never gets done.View all responses My students used to tell me that they would buy my book when I finally wrote it. They had listened to my stories of survival from domestic violence and poverty over many Sociology courses that I taught at various universities and colleges.... Continue Reading →
Communicating Online Means Friends We May Never Meet, But Still Treasure
Daily writing promptIn what ways do you communicate online?View all responses I only communicate through my blog. My posts appear on WordPress, Tumblr, and LinkedIn. I like to write stories and poems, but I still stay true to the vision of the site I started over nine years ago: to use stories to encourage, motivate,... Continue Reading →
A Black Doll in a Blue Gown Helped Me Believe I Was Beautiful, Too
One of the few Christmases I remember in my youth was the last one before my mother moved to New York to look for work. I must have been about 6 or 7. I had only seen white dolls, but my sister and I awoke to find two beautiful Black dolls, dressed as though they... Continue Reading →
As the Matriarch, My Mission is Encouragement and Faith Building
I am stunned to know that I am now the oldest generation of my family. When I was younger, I liked sitting beside or on the lap of the older women and listening to them gossip about their children and neighbors, while passing along to me, maybe unknowingly, behaviors that were unacceptable or unglodly. I... Continue Reading →
I Cancelled Facebook: It Was A Distraction I Didn’t Need
Daily writing promptWhat could you do differently?View all responses I canceled Facebook and LinkedIn today because I was spending too much time reading on them, hours that I could be doing work or writing my book. I would check Facebook to see if a child or grandchild had written something or posted a picture, and... Continue Reading →
Encouragement Is The Best Message
Daily writing promptIf you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?View all responses The Sun is Always Shining Above the Storm Clouds, and Every Storm Eventually Ends. My billboard would seek to encourage everyone that trials and troubles always end. I remember feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. The storm clouds that had been pouring rain... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 