I awoke from a dream before 5 am, heart pounding. There were no zombies, no shadows chasing me across dark parking lots, no threat of my untimely demise--just a room full of strangers. I was supposed to be speaking at some sort of conference, but no one would acknowledge my presence. They just kept talking to each other. Even when I addressed them individually, they ignored … [Read more...] about In my dreams
bullying
What makes a bully?
For Audio I used to live near this woman named Melanie. Melanie's girls were 3, 5, 8, and 10. For a while, every time my niece, Nicole, came to my house, she'd play with the 8 year old. Well, one morning, Nicole went over, hoping for some fun. She was back a minute later. She stared down at her pink Converse high tops. "The girls can't play today." Less than an hour had … [Read more...] about What makes a bully?
Brand new day
I was an overweight kid until tenth grade. I wish I could say I shrank in size then, but I didn't. That was the year Ms. Gandy - my Lit teacher- made each of her students read three works by fifteen authors of our choosing. Aldous Huxley was one of the writers I picked and, although I can't recall the name of the story, it changed the way I viewed my size. It was a tale of … [Read more...] about Brand new day
Something To Say
Hey, y'all. For months, Cynthia's been after me to write somethin' for her website. Now, I don't think I've really got much to say. Well, nothing that hasn't been said before in one way or another. But she says I'm wrong about that. That I need to step right up to the microphone, so to speak, and say what it's like to be me. I told her, "You already talked about me in that … [Read more...] about Something To Say
Rachel’s Challenge
Rachel Scott wrote that one day she wanted to touch millions of hearts. She believed if one person went out of their way to show compassion, it could start a beautiful chain reaction. But she didn't live long enough to prove her theory. She was killed at the Columbine shootings in 1999. That year, Rachel's father, Darrell, began speaking around the country in an attempt to … [Read more...] about Rachel’s Challenge