As I type, twin blue captain’s beds are being delivered for boys that we will soon be hosting from Ukraine. On my messenger feed, another ambassador is typing about an emergency situation at an airport, where the documentation is being questioned. The family has no more money for alternate flights. Outside, the chickadee sings “yoo-hoo” […]
Can you help my friend, please? She is 32 weeks pregnant. The text came in mid-morning. I said I’d look into it. Mom, husband, 10-year-old, and baby on the way. Afraid of the encroaching war, they gambled their money on tickets to Canada. I thought of my own daughter-in-law, happily registering for an upcoming baby […]
Today is the day to leave, the 2:30 am text read; I’m letting my son sleep in, last day in our home. The message came from Kyiv. I had connected with the mom the day before. Bombing around them had finally convinced her to flee. Stay safe and keep in touch when you can. I’m […]
Find an issue people are able to get passionate about, say, child trafficking. 2. Share information and increase the outrage. Start with facts, but insert the occasional manufactured story to test the waters. Maybe try Pizza Gate. 3. Increase paranoia by suggesting that so much is hidden from the public. Again, use actual cases, for […]
Spurred on by my mother, I left home at the age of seventeen. It was the right thing for all involved, but when my parents replaced me with two cats, I couldn’t help but feel slighted: I’m deadly allergic to cats. When my mother-in-law spiked a meal with milk, hoping to prove that food allergies […]
As a white woman, waking up to the implications of her privileged existence, I marvel at the courage of those like Rosa Parks who stand up for what they know to be right and good. I pray for the courage to step beyond the limitations of my own prejudices that I may become an empowering […]