Marilyn R. Gardner's Blog, page 59
May 31, 2016
A Hymn, a Flag, and a Father-in-Law
The lights dim in the First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach, Florida. Music begins to play, and the music director welcomes us to the service. And then we begin to sing. My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. We are singingThe Battle Hymn of the Republic,a patrioticfavorite that links [...]
May 27, 2016
Summer Survival Tips– Part II
School is about to get out here in Kansas. For many moms that’s a sweet joy. They anticipate leisurely time with their children, afternoons at the pool, evenings in the park. For the rest of us summer is a stir-fry of a wide range of emotions. We feel joy, panic, loss of routine, guilt, anticipation, [...]
May 26, 2016
Season of the Injured Sparrow
As I walked out to our car yesterday morning, I saw a sparrow in the driveway. The sparrow wasn’t moving and I worried that it was injured. As I walked toward it, it fluttered away slowly. If a sparrow can limp, it was limping. It was obvious that something was wrong. But it fluttered slowly [...]
May 24, 2016
Four Types of Stories
At a workshop I attended last week, we talked about story as it pertains to race. Through a framework developed at Barnard College, we learned about four types of stories and how knowing and hearing these stories can help expand our understanding of culture, ethnicity, and race. As we went through the exercise, the types [...]
May 23, 2016
Stop Dismissing Millennials
Last week, my husband and I had dinner with some friend. We ate fish tacos, caught up on each other’s lives and laughed until we couldn’t breathe. Our friends are a lot younger than us. They are millennials – that group of people whoareanalyzed, written about, and talked about. And I realize that I [...]
May 20, 2016
Surviving Summer!
In this two part series Robynn suggests ways to successfully survive summer! School is about to get out here in Kansas. For many moms that’s a sweet joy. They anticipate leisurely time with their children, afternoons at the pool, evenings in the park. For the rest of us summer is a stir-fry of a wide [...]
May 19, 2016
What’s On Your Bookshelf?
Two years ago, I asked this question…but Communicating Across Boundaries has grown exponentially since then, so I’m asking it again. The task is simple but oh so hard! Pick three books on your bookshelf thatsummarize you. What three books give us a snapshot of your life? This was introduced byNational Public Radio’s ‘All Things Considered‘ [...]
May 17, 2016
Unequal Treatment
These past two days I’ve been at a summit on race and equity. Specifically, A Call to Government and Community. The conference goes across spheres and participants represent housing, justice, immigration, education, the arts, and health. It has been full of stories and ideas–ideas that I agree with and ideas that I don’t agree with. [...]
May 13, 2016
Look at My Face
Years ago I was flying from Calgary, AB to Hamilton, ON. It was December the skies were grey and the outside temperatures were formidable. The lady sitting next to me was visibly nervous. She fidgeted with seatbelts and arm rests. She adjusted the seat back several times trying to ensure it was in its full [...]
May 10, 2016
Always Too Foreign
On Mother’s Day, my youngest son enters the house. “Today is a good day to read Between Worlds” he says. I look at him puzzled. “Why’s that?” The answercomes quickly:“Because I’m your son.” For better or for worse, we who have lived between pass on the in between to our children. We who are “always [...]
