Today's post is written by my student, Katrina King. As a mother, I can relate to the love and pride she expresses for her daughter in this letter. I hope to write a letter like this to Maggie someday. Dear Kai Hey girl, so I got an assignment in my Comp class, and I think it... Continue Reading →
I found myself whispering, too, even though I wasn’t the one hiding in a closet while a drunken man beat on the door. “Bridgett, it’s okay. You’ll be okay. You do not have to answer that door. DO NOT answer the door, okay?” Bridgett cried snotty tears on the other end of the phone. “But... Continue Reading →
Let me give you guys a quick snapshot of my life right now. I'm wrapping up my position as a full-time faculty member at a community college, grading finals like a demon while saying plenty of sad goodbyes to colleagues and students. I receive daily emails which I print out to add to my "kudos"... Continue Reading →
Jane, Jane, Jane, You'll probably kill me for this (or at least you'll want to). I can't stop thinking about writing this letter to you, and when I can't get something off my mind, I take action. I think you know this about me, so I'm pretty sure you'll forgive me even though you don't... Continue Reading →
Lizard, Thank you for breaking me in back when I turned 22. There was nothing Taylor Swift about it. Your dad and I tied the knot three weeks after I graduated from college and three weeks after my birthday, and I frantically searched for employment while serving as your stepmom. I felt like I was... Continue Reading →
*Over the next few days, I'll be posting essays by my amazing students who wrote in response to the question, "What are three gifts--proverbial or literal--that you've been given in 2013, and why are they significant to you?" Their responses made me laugh, cry, and most of all, thank God for the opportunity to invest... Continue Reading →
Day 25 in the Dear Gratitude project is submitted by yours truly :). Dear Need, I first remember meeting you, Need, when my father fell from his heroic platform in my mind. Grappling with drug addiction, he stood in our living room in Augusta, Kansas, in 1984, and admitted that he had fallen for Caroline.... Continue Reading →
*It's Day 14 of the Dear Gratitude project. Today, I'm sharing a letter to my students. There is no way I could ever thank each of them individually for all they've added to my life. I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach today, and I look forward to teaching for years to come, hopefully!* Dear... Continue Reading →
A wise woman named Mauzelle who managed the Arkansas Methodist Church archives at Hendrix University once told me, as she tried to share her lunch with me while I researched Methodist women in the Ozarks, that she loves history and wants to do everything she can to preserve it. “It’s so important, you see, because... Continue Reading →
I've said NEVER about plenty of things. And eaten my words plenty of times, too. "I will NEVER get divorced." Done. Twice. "I am NEVER going to be one of those people who moves back to the middle of nowhere as an adult!" Done. Here. "I'm never going to date another alcoholic or addict, EVER!"... Continue Reading →
Gratitude Cup 