FORWARD Being “forward” in the sense of speaking up first, taking a risk, not sitting back to hear other opinions before expressing mine, does not come naturally to me. Maybe it shouldn’t. There’s something to be said in this world for the tendency many of us introverts have to process lots of information, take time […]
WestPhillyAuthor: My writing inspiration
I am thrilled to welcome Gerald Jackson, known as West Philly Author on social media, to share a guest post. I heard him read his book, “A Father’s Message,” on the Philadelphia Parks Alliance Readalong, and I wanted to know more about how he came to write the book. He tells the story best: I […]
A mistake that made things better
These are not normal times, and the Army’s 54th Quartermaster Company does not have a normal assignment. Members of the unit, which does mortuary services, have been serving in New York City, assisting the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) with managing tasks related to casualties of COVID-19. Last week, I shared a […]
Mom would tell me to refrain from…
REFRAIN On this Mother’s Day, I’m thinking of things my mom would have asked me to refrain from. (I realize this graphic probably means for us to write about musical refrains, but I’m doing something else.) I’ve been grappling with the challenge of being respectful and responsive on social media, both on my personal blog […]
No sports? No problem! Here’s a news game
The world is pretty much without professional and college sports right now. I have done 18 posts to highlight my favorite SmartBrief stories for each month, so although this little game won’t replace the thrill of the Final Four or a spring of baseball, hopefully it will change things up a little bit from my […]
Becoming more human, a tribute to a friend
My lifelong friend, Duane Archer-Buffum, passed away on November 23, 2019. This tribute is written to him. I’ve asked myself a thousand times over the past few decades what would have happened if I had handled the conversation differently when you told me you were gay when we were teenagers (and had been seeing each […]