I know why the uncaged bird doesn’t sing. What lurks beyond the cage I cannot say. I reach, but knees knock against hollowed-out bones like the hollowed heart of their carrier. Doors swivel, flip, revolve out of character. The path unclear. Will I fly out over, around or under? I cannot decipher a clipped wing from a mended one. I am mentally trapped as a Stallion tied to a plastic patio. The uncaged bird doesn’t sing. What song sings of... Read more
I took the Megabus, Chicago to Nashville a little while ago. I joked on Facebook about how all the Black-Americans on board collectively complained about how freezing cold it was after we had a rousing discussion of Ferguson, the protest then still in its infancy. On the way back to Chicago, a black man in a short sleeved tee got on the bus and yelled loudly, “it’s cold as f*ck on this bus!” And we all chuckled, the rest of us... Read more
I shared a FaceBook post last week that made me feel powerfully vulnerable and ashamed. Bloggers call this a “vulnerability hangover,” which seems pretty all true. I shared it after tossing and turning one night, after hearing some harsh words spoken about me, I wanted to rise up and defend myself. On a subterranean level, I wanted to articulate that it was okay with me to be heard, to be powerful, to stand up for myself. I wanted to acknowledge the... Read more
*I wrote the following guest post for the upcoming Jumping Tandem Retreat coming up May 1-3 in Ashland, NE which I’ll be key-noting on the 1st evening! Please, pretty please come join us! Learn more about it here & register here.* Hello, my name is Grace and I’ve struggled with grace. Some say, actually many have told me that I embody my name. They say I am rightly named, that I show grace and have grace, yada yada yada. I haven’t... Read more
On grace, the light in the darkness. I’m guest posting today for my homie, Juan Lopez. Grace in the light of Christ means having courage. Courage to get out of bed and face the fears of basic living that overwhelm knowing grace will carry you through it. Courage when, having gotten out of said bed you do something, anything really that acknowledges said grace is present whether you feel it or not. You move through the overwhelm a little slower than usual, more... Read more
I was jittery nervous in that witness box. I shoved sweaty hands under my little thighs to keep them from shaking. Across and in front of me, Ma was on my left, Dad on my right. On my direct right, the honorable Judge So-And-So presiding. The court recorder was down in front, the jury, my lawyer, my fathers lawyer, and a room full of strangers were watching the proceedings. I was not briefed beforehand. Though vague memories of “just be... Read more
You, my first born son are halfway to Becoming A Man. At 9 yrs. old, I’ve had your for half. Lord willing, I’ll “have” you for 9 more years before you carry all your earthly possessions off to a an overly crowed dorm room. In 9 yrs. you’ll still be my baby -always- but in the eyes of the world, a man capable of making decisions that grown men make. For good or for evil, your precious shoulders will take... Read more
I remember when I used to get up before my kiddos to read through my favorite daily devotional, Seeking God’s Face. Ransom would eventually lumber out of his room and he’d snuggle up next to me while I sipped my coffee & read. Sometimes I’d ask if he wanted me to read the closing prayer out loud to him and he’d say “sure” in his sweet, tiny raspy morning voice. I remember when we all shared a house together, before... Read more
About 7 months ago, shit fell apart. All the way apart. In every way, apart. Complete decimation of normalcy. It was, in part what divorce and custody battles do to folks, but there was so much more. Nothing felt scarier than transitioning out of a 14 yr. marriage whilst facing the worst part of myself whilst taking a moral inventory of my soul. Nothing felt scarier then scooping out 15 layers of grime, gunk, filth, dirt & shame particles everywhere. When... Read more
Today, I am 38. How woefully late thirties of me. Last year I wrote 37 Birthday Pearls & the year before 36 Birthday Pearls each year adding one new pearl of wisdom I’ve picked up along the way. 1. People are hurting, err on the side of kindness. If they aren’t now, they will be soon. So many of us, so often in misery taken out by life’s brutal curve balls. Your kindness can make all the difference in the... Read more
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