Caught Between Places
One of the panels I went to at the Southern Festival of Books was titled Our Feet May Leave, But Not Our Hearts – Stories of Home and Place (I know, kinda cheesy title, but it was YA novelists so I was hooked), and the panelists were Silas House and Meg Medina. I’d heard of Silas [...]
I’m the Preacher’s Kid
My soul is so full. I am coming down from the high after hanging out at the Southern Festival of Books for three days. No, not a vacation, not a retreat, but three days that were for me. Poet me, writer me, reader me. There is so much to reflect on, so I’ll have to [...]
It Was Life . . . .
I’ve hit a little rut in my spiritual memoir manuscript. I’ve got a lot of stuff about Orthodoxy, but not enough about Thailand, so I decided to drag out all my old journals tonight. The first one I opened began in May of 1996, which was right before I graduated from high school and left [...]
Swimming in Saltwater Memory
So we’re at the beach this week. And it’s supposed to rain all week. When we got here last night, my plan was to go out and walk on the beach at night and stargaze. Poetic, right? But it was gray and cloudy and raining. Thankfully, this morning there was a break in the rain [...]
When You Know You’ll Never Quite Be Home
Blame it on spending my childhood in two countries. Blame it on bouncing back and forth between two languages. Between two cultures. I used to feel Thai and American. But never quite fully either one. It’s like being Abnegation and Dauntless. And being neither of them. Friends have been going to Thailand and posting pictures. [...]
Poetry Friday: On Prayer
I was thinking about Lent a few days ago and wondering what spiritual book I might read this Lent, when a thought hit me: I don’t want you to read something. I want you to pray. Whether that thought came from me or God, I don’t know. But I couldn’t shake it off. My mind [...]
Why My Job Rules
Why my job sucks: For the past 3 weeks, I’ve had to travel to high schools and middle schools to administer a speaking test to EL students. The SAME test. Over and over. ALL day long. Why my job rules: I’ve gotten to meet a bunch of cool students. At one high school, I met [...]
And She Doesn’t Like Goodbyes
My daughter hates goodbyes. She cries when we leave birthday parties. She cried a few days ago when we left her grandparents’ house. As much as we assured her that Nanny and Pa only live an hour and a half away and we can see them any time, her tears would not cease. I have [...]
Poetry Friday: Reflecting on Two Countries
So yesterday I did a PD session after school for some new ELL teachers. I began by telling a story completely in Thai. Upon seeing their blank looks, I pulled out some visuals to help. The story was about Ariel the Little Mermaid, and I used a Little Mermaid doll, and Eric doll, and a [...]
That Life-Changing Educational Experience
I just read this great article from the New York Times called “The Educational Experiences that Change a Life.” Fascinating collection of stories from lots of successful people! And my brain started churning . . . what were those educational experiences that truly changed my life? Third grade – We had a claw foot tub [...]
