Fully Present Post 50

I can’t go into a movie theater or a restaurant or my office these days without plotting my immediate escape in preparation for an active shooter.  On Wednesday, I sat through my second training on what to do in case there is an active shooter on campus.  For the second time, my entire body went ice cold.  But this time, I got angry, too. Continue reading “Active Shooter”

This is not the usual Mother’s Day for me because it falls on May 13 which is also my mother’s birthday.  I’m reminded of May 13, 1989.   That year, it was also Mother’s Day and my mother’s birthday. I was a mother, but the occasional convergence of my mom’s birthday with Mother’s Day made her the focus of our attention.  However, the festivities that day were abruptly interrupted by news that my father had a massive stroke in his office.  Yes, he was working that Sunday because for an accountant it was still tax season. That stroke ultimately ended his life. So, 29 years later, on another May 13th Mother’s Day/birthday without my mother, I’m smiling, not crying.  Continue reading “Not Just Any Mother’s Day on May 13th”

At a young age I was taught to guard my reputation carefully as it will be the one earthly thing I will take with me to the grave.  Others had convinced me that taking care to live a life of high moral character would take care of my reputation.  And until recently, I had naively believed that to be true.  But over the past week, I learned a harsh life lesson about reputations.  I learned that there are times when I will need to defend my reputation against those who are inclined to destroy it. Continue reading “Reputation Lesson”

I’ve often claimed that spring is my favorite time of the year.  Even in sunny California, spring is an exceptionally beautiful time with the blossoming fruit trees, the wisteria and star jasmine that take turns perfuming my backyard and the inevitable return of the freesia and dahlias I  planted a few years ago.  Roses bloom and the nursery is filled with colorful annuals.  But spring has always meant more substantial life changes beyond my garden.  Continue reading “Spring Always Brings Me Change”

I don’t want to read James Comey’s new book, “A Higher Loyalty”.  I’m not sure I need to after watching him be interviewed day after day.  I think I’ve formed an opinion of him.  And I find that I am truly ambivalent when it comes to him. Continue reading “Thoughts About James Comey”

This week I had the privilege of hearing the experience and expectations of a queer male student on our campus.  As he described his experience, he kept qualifying each account with a “but we only have” or “but we need to have” or “but we don’t have.”  At first, I felt a bit offended by how this student described the glass as half empty and not as half full.  I think sometimes in our push for needed reforms, we neglect to recognize and celebrate progress. Continue reading “Recognizing Progress”

It seems to me that grown children maintain and even perpetuate an impression of their parents that the parents themselves may not even recognize as an image of themselves. I’ve encountered that with my own children. To argue about their image of me is a senseless act of futility that can be disruptive to the current relationship. Continue reading “Musings about Lasting Impressions”

Trauma is defined simply as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. On this resurrection Sunday, we are reminded that Jesus suffered the trauma of crucifixion on Friday that included physical and emotional pain plus humiliation.  But God raised him up after three days to take His place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.   As human beings, we all experience varying degrees of trauma at different points in our lives.

Continue reading “Trauma”

The ship on a multicultural country has sailed. But there are still people on the docks holding ropes, trying desperately to pull it back. These are the short-sighted individuals who want to “make America great again”. They are afraid of what a future America might look like without white people in the majority exercising their visible and invisible privilege to the ignorable detriment of the rest of us. As a compassionate person, my task is to invite those on the dock to climb on board and to puck others from the water before they drown if they are willing to climb into the ship. Continue reading “Multicultural America”

I spent the last week in Washington D.C. at the annual NADOHE Conference for Chief Diversity Officers working on college campuses across the nation.  NADOHE stands for the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.  After the conference, I spent seven hours touring the new Museum of African American History and Culture, the newest of the Smithsonian museums located on the mall. Both events were eye-opening experiences that got me thinking. Continue reading “A Changing Era in Race Relations”