Dear President Biden, I know there are dozens and dozens of scary, weighty things going on in the world and maybe I’ll feel like treading into some of that territory later today, but this morning I just want to tell you about the hummingbird I saw yesterday. Hummingbird sightings are fairly common around here, especially …
Better yet, have fun
Dear President Biden, This is a short little tale about a chance encounter with a boy with green hair, the difference between “good luck” and “have fun” and how much I still have to learn before I can reliably be a true advocate for the beloved community. Saturday morning Laura and I were circling back …
Easter haiku
Dear President Biden, Our pastor, the Dr. Reverend Kelle Brown, gave one of the best sermon’s she’s ever given this morning. If you want to check it out, you can find it on our YouTube channel (go to about minute 49). Her sermon title this morning was Alive! and it inspired the following Easter haiku: …
Reality nuggets
Dear President Biden, Lately I’ve been hanging out at work (via Zoom-like platforms) with way more young people than old people. I’m humbled and grateful to say that they’ve become my teachers. So many of them are living out loud and questioning what is and why is it is that what is is the way …
Grant due Tuesday haiku 2
Dear President Biden, I’m in the homestretch with the grant that’s due tomorrow but this needs to be another haiku night. Just for fun, I’m going to tell you what the title of this letter’s blog entry is since I’m finding all the “u” sounds amusing: “Grant due Tuesday haiku 2.” Here it is: We’ve …
Grant due Tuesday haiku
Dear President Biden, I have a grant due on Tuesday and have been pouring pretty much everything into it so I’m sending along a quick haiku to say hello. They say empathyis your main superpowerand I am grateful. May we be safe while we work on the important work.May we be happy to have a …
Gratitude haiku III (with a serious catch)
Dear President Biden, There’s space in my headfor quiet. I can hear ducksquack as they fly North. Thank you for this. There’s still plenty to do, including some missteps to call out and some strongly preferred directions to encourage, but I’m grateful for the longish stretches of quiet in my head. I hadn’t realized how …
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The revolutionary gift of seeing and naming
Dear President Biden, I told you the other week about my now favorite podcast Hear to Slay by Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom. Well, this past week R&T talked with a young Black activist named Amber J. Phillips and at the end of the conversation when they asked her how they and their listeners …
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“THIS IS ART.” A redux of sorts…
Dear President Biden, When I showed Laura the picture of the gallows with the “THIS IS ART” sign, she noticed that there was another square nailed up on the opposite side. Although it’s impossible to tell from the WP picture that’s been circulating whether that other square conveys another message, I did see that I …
Bathroom breaks
Dear President Biden, This week has already been one of those completely full-on weeks. As I’ve done my best to navigate it as gracefully as possible, I’ve taken a lot of deep breaths and have reflected on how grateful I am for routines that I like. Thinking about likeable routines and how they end up …