This past year may have been my quarter life crisis. A little late, I know. I do not intend to live to be 120, but I have always been a late bloomer with these life markings. Most of my girlfriends from college went through their quarter life crisis shortly after graduation. While I was having […]
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I got a call from my mom, unusually early on a Wednesday. “I have breast cancer,” she said with a detached tone. I wilted and started crying, at which she commanded, “No, don’t be sad. I mean, you can be sad if you want, but I will be fine.” It was an odd conversation. She […]
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I recently had my last day teaching high school after five years at Cretin-Derham Hall. This last year was extremely special. I taught all seniors, and they invited me to speak at their graduation. So below is what I said on June 1 at the Cathedral. There are many inside jokes and specifics, but I […]
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Last week Dan and I picked up our first box of vegetables from Harmony Valley, a small local farm that we are in relationship with through Community Supported Agriculture. Every Thursday from now until the next frost we will have a box of veggies waiting for us in a random garage by Como Lake. It […]
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Thursday my athletic director handed me a key ring with four keys on it. I sighed, accepting the four additional keys begrudgingly. They felt heavy in my hand and my pocket. The head softball coach has resigned with a month left, leaving me in charge. I added the keys to my existing work key ring, […]
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My friend Adam Copeland is a phenomenal writer. He recently pondered the limitations in our gender language around marriage on his blog A Wee Blether: Of my 20/30 something friends who’ve been married for a few years, most have come to use the words “wife” and “husband” without any bother. While it brought them up […]
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God gives but does not share. –Haitian Proverb This will not be true forever, but I deeply believe that at this point in history, the earth offers enough of what humans need to survive. There is enough food, water and wealth to provide a life of decency for everyone. God has given enough, but we […]
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When I ask my students what women they look up to, and they go to the private sphere. “My mom.” “My grandma.” “My aunt.” When I ask them what men they look up to, they go to the public sphere, naming admiration for politicians, professional athletes and musical artists. This is alarming on multiple levels.
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Last Monday in class, I tripped and fell on my face in front of about twenty students. It was awesome. We have no control of the heat in our classroom, and it was getting stuffy. I left the discussion circle to crack a window, my foot got stuck in a backpack shoulder strap, and I […]
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Early Saturday morning, Dan, my spouse, took a picture of me for a travel visa. I stood against a beige wall and forced a weary smile. Click, view. He adjusted the flash. Click, view. The camera saw right through me. After about seven attempts, he let the camera fall limp at his side and looked […]
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