For nearly three years, we have lived next door to a mother and daughter who actually moved in the rental property next door the same week we bought our house. I never went over to saying hello, and they never came over to introduce themselves. It seems like knowing your neighbors is old-fashioned today. I... 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 →
It's difficult and painful to realize that you have been wearing a mask for a long time, not really being as authentic as you should have been. It does not matter if the mask was worn unintentionally; what matters is finding the courage to admit that you need to change and to be real in... Continue Reading →
Sometimes one unexpected question can change the way you see yourself. For me, the question was asked after a lecture on domestic violence in one of my sociology questions. A young female student raised her hand and asked, "How did you become such a strong woman after all that you have been through?" I stopped... Continue Reading →
On one of the legs of the flight from Portugal, I sat next to a young woman, possibly in her twenties, who coughed a lot but did not cover her mouth. Douglas and I gave her the evil eye, trying to embarrass her into using good manners, but to no avail. I should have spoken... Continue Reading →
Being sick and confined to bed the last two weeks gave me time for serious reflection. When I was a little girl of age nine, I remember the older people in church thanking God for waking up in their "right mind." I did not fully understand then what they meant by having a right mind.... Continue Reading →
One of the wonderful perks of being a professor was seeing the reactions of parents at graduation. The professors were required to attend at least one ceremony each year, but, wherever I was teaching, I always volunteered to attend all of the graduation services, much to the relief of my colleagues who were not as... Continue Reading →
I was the guilty party, but I did not want to suffer the consequences of my actions, so I stayed quiet as my young male cousin, Leon, was punished for my transgressions. My sister, JoAnn, and I had moved in with our great-aunt who had raised our mother. We called her Aunt Brownie, and she... Continue Reading →
Living for the Lord is not as difficult an endeavor as people often think. Some unbelievers are under the false assumption that only perfect people become Christians and are allowed in the presence of God or in His holy sanctuary. If that were true, I wouldn't have ever been able to approach God's Throne of... 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 →
