Amarante, Portugal, May 2026 I had a strange conversation with a hairstylist in Macomb, Illinois, when I was an assistant professor at Western Illinois University. She was white, and I told her that I dreamed of traveling to Norway someday. She informed me that she wanted to visit Africa because her child was mixed-race. As... Continue Reading →
She watched him and smiled as he looked at his phone, turned pale, and quickly left the room. She wondered why cheaters believe that they are smarter than everyone else? He thinks she hasn’t the intellect to know that he is gadding about, spending her money on other women. He doesn’t even act discreetly, subjecting... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptWhat are some life hacks that you practice?View all responses One life hack that helps me when I travel is making a list and checking it multiple times. It is the most efficient way to avoid forgetting what I need for the trip, particularly when we travel to Europe, where I might have... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptDo you believe in karma?View all responses Growing up, when someone mistreated, abused, or cheated another person, I remember the old people saying, "Every dog has its day." When I experienced the unkindness of others, I came to hope that they were right and that whoever wronged me or anyone else would suffer... Continue Reading →
When I retired from teaching college students and being able to give them life lessons from my own life, I wanted a way to still share stories that encourage, inspire, and give hope to others, as a way of showing that we can endure much and still be joyful in this life. I try to... Continue Reading →
What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? View all responses My 50th birthday had passed, and I still could not drive a car. Twenty years earlier, a driving instructor told me I was meant to be a passenger. I was so fearful of driving after that conversation that I had to ask family and... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptIf you could relive one year of your life, which one would it be?View all responses After three miscarriages and being told that I would never have a successful pregnancy, I gave birth on December 18, 1975, to a healthy baby boy, whom I named Malcolm because my mother refused to allow me... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptWhat’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching?View all responses When we travel and are away from all the people who love to tell us that we are too old to do something, we take chances we would not otherwise attempt. My husband and I were in Viseu, Portugal.... Continue Reading →
Being diagnosed recently with Congestive Heart Failure means a lot of encounters with nurses in the Emergency Room, labs, and hospital floors. Yesterday, as I endured another scan, the nurse who uses ultrasound to find veins couldn't do so on me. She was so kind and empathetic because she knew her actions hurt me. I... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptWhat’s the last movie that made you cry?View all responses I did not know the history of the black women who worked at NASA and helped with John Glenn's historic orbit and the Apollo 11 moon landing. To see Black women portrayed in a film as more than domestics cleaning houses and as... Continue Reading →
