My (paternal) grandmother died four days before Christmas. She’d been sick for about a month. Just as I had come to terms with the fact that she was most likely going to die, she seemed to take a turn for the better. About a week later, she was dead. So it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster. However, the good part about it all was that my grandmother was 95 years old. So she had lived a long and fruitful life. On top of that, she was prepared to die. Not just figuratively but very literally. As we Read More
Tag: Black History Month
What have you learned today?
We’ve all heard the phrase “you learn something new every day,” but do we all believe it? Sometimes, we “relearn” some things…meaning, there are facts that you pick up over time that get pushed to the back of your mind. Then, one day, you come across something and think, “Wow! I didn’t know that…or maybe I did…” That’s how I felt as I read an article about Black History Month. While I know most of the origin of how the month came to be, I read something in the article that seemed new to me. It explained that Carter G. Read More
In order to go forward, you must look back
When I first started my current job, I spent most of my first year learning the lay of the land. That included finding out how things were done in the past, what things worked well, what things should be changed, etc. I couldn’t move forward without knowing where we’d been as a department. This concept also applies to life. There are symbols and events in our nation’s collective history that should never be forgotten. People often have varying opinions about how much we should focus on history vs. moving forward. However, I believe that if you don’t know what has Read More
“My Favorite Poet”
In early elementary school, somewhere between 3rd-5th grade, I wrote a report on Langston Hughes. I even drew a portrait of him for the title page. Looking back, I have no idea what it was about Hughes that wooed me as a child. Heck, I can’t quite put into words why I’m drawn to his work, now! I’m usually hesitant to start listing my “favorite” of anything; but if I had a favorite poet, Langston Hughes would be it. Perhaps one thing I admire about him is his courage to explore other areas of literature. But more than anything, I Read More