The scene opens with a mother sitting on a chair, huddled by a bed in a dark bedroom, only one lamp lit. She holds the hand of a boy lain flat on the bed, neither moving save her lips in silent prayer. The only heartbeat is her own. She doesn't believe it. This can't be real. She believes the pain of reality would break her, so she denies it. How long will she stay here? How long will she demand the benevolent savior do her will ? How long will she rot with her boy? There are

When's the last time you fell for someone? And what was it that made you fall? Is it pure animal attraction? Desirable character? Same life goals? Was it a romantic partner? Or can we also fall for influencers, performers, and educators? Maybe a magnetic personality? Religious leader? Political pundit? The implication of falling is that when you lean in like that you make yourself more vulnerable to whomever it is. You suddenly trust them more. Their opinion matters to you mo

Over Thanksgiving my daughter and I took a trip to Hobby Lobby to snag a few bangles and bobbles to decorate my house for Christmas. The pizazz was a bit overwhelming, but fun nonetheless. One-thousand smells, two-thousand sparkling lights and three-thousand ornaments. My last grab was a new Christmas tree stand, which I snagged without much thinking. It was the only one on the shelf. At the register my bill was twice as much as I expected, making me gawk at the reciept as I

Patriarchy is the term referred to colloquially as the system that values some over others. It's the system that gives power (and more money) to those with the most money. It expects some to work a little, while requiring others to work the skin off their own fingers. It's the system that says some voices are more important than other voices. It's not men. It's more like "the man." Patriarchy affects everyone. For those at the bottom it's oppressive and frustrating, demeani

Unfortunately accountability is a low value in the culture I live in. More likely we value a false sense of peace, maintaining the status quo and power structures, and southern charm. Which means when trouble arrises (e.g. offensive behavior, unethical treatment of others, subtle isms) we are more likely to look the other way, laugh uncomfortably, or swallow and move on. What we have failed to recognize is that bad behavior is like cancer. Without treatment, it poisons the wh