Surprised by Violent Pride as my Values Collide

If you ask me what one of my worst realistic fears is, I will tell you that it is for the safety of my 20 year old daughter, who is transgender. The statistics of violence against transpeople is staggering, and even higher for transwomen. Each year, on the Transgender Day of Remembrance, we read the […]

Teaching Her to Drive Away

Sometimes being a single mom feels like a burden. And sometimes it’s a gift. Teaching my youngest daughter to drive has felt like both. She passes her driving permit test on her birthday, the last day of May, a day that we have both been eagerly awaiting. This is going to be great! This is […]

Making Space for Meaning

I feel like I got my money’s worth from this Yom Kippur – so much so that there has been an overflow of rumination, thoughts, and emotions even throughout today. I took advantage of the space that I usually don’t permit myself to sit in. I stopped whack-a-moling my thoughts, and instead I allowed many […]

Days of Judgment

This past year I have become more aware of judgment in all its forms. We can judge a situation as good or bad, judge whether someone meets our approval or not, or make a judgment call that utilizes wisdom to make decisions. One of my daughters often asks me,” Is that bad that I feel […]

Proud with a Heavy Heart

Have you ever had an experience where you were elated and heartbroken at the same time? Proud, with a heavy heart? I did recently, at a workshop called Chronic Illness and Gender Confirmation Surgery. I’m going to guess that you have not attended a session about this topic. Neither had I until last weekend. This was […]

Maybe I won’t write this blog post

Maybe I won’t write a blog post this week. After all, I’ve written 20 posts in that many weeks and I’m thinking that I don’t have anything more to say right now. I can use the Labor Day theme as my excuse for taking a week off. It’s likely no one will even notice. Now […]

Hold On To Your Summer!

How was your summer? As teachers are returning to work, this question is being asked over and over. In fact, all month long, people have been lamenting that the summer is over. I get it. Completely. There is likely an alarm clock involved now, a schedule that’s been created for you instead of by you, and […]

Changing my Default on a Glorious Day

It is a beautiful afternoon. The kind that makes me want to twirl and dance in a field, go to a fair, eat ice cream, or hang out by the water with good friends. There is a cloudless blue sky, warm sun, and no humidity. A slight breeze, with a hint of barbecue, wafts over […]

How Do You Wake Up Each Morning?

For many years as I woke up, I would wonder what to do about the uninvited elephant of overwhelm that was sitting on my chest. Or about the adrenaline of nervousness that was coursing through my body. Or, every now and again, how to hold onto the relief of joy and relaxation that I actually […]

Reality TV or My Reality?

On a regular basis, I am the recipient of information that has anything to do with the topic of transgender people. Friends forward articles to me. People invite me to movie screenings and plays. Others assume that I am a regular viewer of any TV special or show that is about being trans. I feel […]