2020 Holiday: Dearly Exhausted

Illustration: @raminnazer. Support their work here: https://www.rainbowbrainskull.com/ Dearly Exhausted (but Still Always Totally Beloved), Everything is sideways. Everything feels inside out and upside down. This, my friends, *gestures broadly* is survival mode. (Welcome?) We have and will continue collectively to be in survival mode, probably well into next spring/summer. Since lockdowns and social distancing measures...

You Need You, and So Do We.

TLDR: You are exactly who you're supposed to be. Not only is it okay for you to be here, it is good for you to be here- exactly as you are. You will notice things that no one else will notice, care about things no one else will. The world is better with you here...

Gut Punch

We are doing okay, but I know it will come in waves. Both the grief and the anger. Because it’s not just that Dad is gone; it’s the how and why and the infuriating indignity of being reminded at every turn that beautiful souls walking the earth in Black bodies suffer more and get less...

To White People Still Resisting “The Talk:”

I know it feels like turning toward this thing is only going to bring you shame, pain and loss. And, yes, discomfort is definitely part of the deal. But what, exactly, are we being asked to give up? Entering the conversation about racism isn't going to take something precious from you. It's going to show...

Dear Evangelicals: An Apology

Dear Evangelicals, I feel I owe you an apology for the judgement I've been speaking in your direction lately. Not to take back anything I've said but to acknowledge that I haven't been speaking with a goal of connection and relationship. I have been silent about my faith journey for over 3 years, and have...

Mary Oliver for Corona Times (after Wild Geese)

Mary Oliver for Corona Times (after Wild Geese)by Adrie Suzanne Kusserow You do not have to become totally zen,You do not have to use this isolation to make your marriage better,your body slimmer, your children more creative.You do not have to “maximize its benefits”By using this time to work even more,write the bestselling Corona Diaries,Or...

How Do You Know You’re Okay?

When I was young, one of my grandmothers had what I thought at the time was a strange habit of saying rather forcefully, “You’re alright; you’re alright!” anytime one of the grandkids got the tiniest bit upset. If someone started shouting or crying, she would rush in, “Hey now, what’s going on?!” And, regardless of...

You Already Have It

Your deepest power doesn't play bullshit external ego games, doesn't suffer fools (including you). Your deepest power is patient and still, not compromising in order to be heard, not competing for a seat at the table. Your deepest power only shows up when you choose to align with and honor it over external demands. Your...

Starting Again

I've been wanting to write again; aware of this space where I try to capture each moment of the journey; aware that I have been silent in this space for most of the last year. And SO much has happened in that year, but... this one is really hard. It comes with a lot of letting...