Cindy Cone. Margaret Carlton. Pat Skrocki. Pat LaMarche. Antonia Hyde. They come from different backgrounds, hold different beliefs, but they all have something in common. They’re all women. Strong women. And they’re all women who have made an indelible impact on my life. I am who and where I am because these women each shared…
Still, I Stand
Six years ago, I reached my breaking point, grew a backbone, and left the strict, completely unhealthy religious sect I'd grown up in. It was the most terrifying, liberating thing I've ever and will ever do. Today, it feels like a lifetime ago, a distant memory I can look back on with pride. Six years…
Of Fear and Apologies
Fear is a powerful emotion. It literally causes changes in body and brain chemistry, prompts visceral, physical reactions, and can provoke us to react in ways that are less than, well, rational and kind. Sigh. Sadly, I know this firsthand. After the election, I was terrified. Not just by the direction the country had chosen,…
Hope is a Verb – For Cincinnati and Beyond
Hope is a verb. It is an action. A project. A protest. A defiance. A MARCH. It is love. It is created in the minds and hearts, through the signs and shouts of the masses Ringing through a park and neighborhood that, itself, is a testimony to what hope can do. It is renewal. Hope.…
When the Introvert Dances
I took a little poll on Facebook today. I wanted to ask my personal collective hive-mind what they thought about me. Specifically, I wanted to know if they thought I was an introvert or an extrovert. The answers, surprisingly, were all over the map. I got everything from extreme extrovert to extreme introvert, and lots…
Taking Stock of What I Have and What I Haven’t…
Taking stock of what I have and what I haven't What do I find? The things I got will keep me satisfied Checking up on what I have and what I haven't What do I find? A healthy balance on the credit side... It's that time of year when I find myself taking stock of…
An Earthquake of Normal Proportions
Seismic shifts can sneak up on you. We can’t predict earthquakes. Scientists try, but when the earth decides to shift beneath us, there’s no warning. It just happens. Back in 2011, a few months after I left the Army, a rare earthquake struck the east coast. I was sitting in Maureen’s basement with Duffy,…
The Courage of Imperfection
It’s no secret that I have issues with perfectionism. In fact, it’s become something of a running joke among my friends that I have a touch of “CDO” [because of course, the letters need to be in alphabetical order]. And it’s true. I laugh along with them, but it really has been something I’ve…
Keep the Home Fires Burning…But Not Literally
Most people rent their first “grown up apartment” when they are in their early 20’s – after college, once they’re on their own. Me? It took me a little longer. I rented my first “grown up apartment” on January 5, 2012, when I was 32 years old. Until that point, I’d lived in a parsonage…
Finding peace in the storm
In case you hadn’t heard by now, we had an historic blizzard this past weekend here in PA. More than three feet of snow fell in Carlisle, trapping us all in our houses and shutting down literally everything – even the post office [which, for my foreign readers, is a very, VERY big deal here…
VoyagersHeart 