In response to the Daily Addictions prompt today, I decided to innovate our blog by writing a poem to encourage and inspire readers today. We will still write prose, of course. But, I so enjoy the poetry blogs, and most of the blogs I follow are poetry-based and so well done. But, I want to... Continue Reading →
The plan was to move to Portugal and live cheaply on our pensions and Social Security. Living in a country with cheaper rents and expenses meant that our monies would go further and last longer, allowing us to travel all over the world. But, after six weeks in Portugal, I knew that living in a... Continue Reading →
Douglas and I are in Savannah celebrating our wedding anniversary. It is a beautiful city, one that reminds me so much of European cities in the styles of the houses, and in the layout of streets. People also walk a lot here, and there is a public transportation system geared toward making it where visitors... Continue Reading →
During an especially difficult time in my life, I wondered if the earth was some kind of cosmic prison for the rest of the universe, the place people are sent when they have misbehaved in the rest of the cosmos. Being born black in the South in the 1950s, female, poor, and unattractive by cultural... Continue Reading →
As a professor, I met so many students who had a poor opinion of their abilities to be more than just be average in college because someone had told them early in their lives that they were not smart, capable, or good enough to be successful. These are what I call premature assessments, decisions made... Continue Reading →
One of the most wonderful aspects of being in Portugal was that everything that we needed, from groceries to medical care, was within walking distance. Everybody walked, including children. Many of the cars in Quarteria belonged to the tourists. Every evening, we joined what appeared to be the whole city in strolling along the boardwalk... Continue Reading →
I did not follow the script that was meant for women my age, mainly because I have never thought that we all must look and act the same. The expectations of others for the roles we are supposed to play limit us, even as failing to meet the expectations of others tend to liberate us... Continue Reading →
I was so glad to read this morning that Ryan Reynolds, the actor in Deadpool, admitted to having battled anxiety all of his life. I have been there and it is no fun. I struggled with it for years, never going to the doctor because I thought I was "crazy," and that I would be... Continue Reading →
We all need a safe space, a place of refuge from the difficulties and challenges of life. It is important to choose a safe space that has the power to strengthen and keep us in times of trouble and upheaval in our lives. In the psalm for this week, Psalm 46, one of the descendants... Continue Reading →
For weeks, the
Help from Heaven 