“We have a few minutes, so let’s check in. How are you doing?” Our virtual meeting began with those words. One of my colleagues was quick to respond. “I’m sad. Really sad,” he said, as he struggled to maintain composure. His voice vibrated with deep emotional pain. He paused. Though this was a virtual gathering, […]
Can collective pain trigger personal trauma? One of my close friends texted this question to me a few days ago. “Yes, definitely,” I replied. What’s going on with you? “You know I’m a father and a grandfather,” he replied. “I worry about my sons.“ What if a white cop pulled them over? Would they survive? […]
(Unsplash Photo) Sometimes people ask me, “How do I pray to my ancestors?” Of course, there are different ways of praying, formal and informal, spontaneous and ceremonial. But a simple way of praying to your ancestors is to just talk to them. They are your people, who happened not to be incarnate in a body […]
You’ve got a lot of folks pulling for you!! In order to be born, you needed: 2 parents 4 grandparents 8 great-grandparents 16 second great-grandparents 32 third great-grandparents 64 fourth great-grandparents 128 fifth great-grandparents 256 sixth great-grandparents 512 seventh great-grandparents 1,024 eighth great-grandparents 2,048 ninth great-grandparents For you to be born today from 12 previous […]
Detroit, Michigan Mural 2014 We lived on a farm in the rural South. In those days, country doctors made house calls. It was a cold winter day, but the house was cozy and warm. A fire burned brightly in the fireplace of Grandma Lucille’s bedroom. The house was quiet. No one was around except my […]
Have you ever been afraid to turn the TV off, afraid that something catastrophic may happen and you will be found wanting? This is how I’ve been feeling since Wednesday, January 6. Early in the afternoon I ran an errand and returned home in less than an hour. As I was entering the door, I […]
August 19, 2016 (Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash) I awakened this morning to the familiar “ding” of a new message on my phone. Someone was thinking of me and sending love energy to surround me on this day of the third year anniversary of my son’s suicidal death. My phone rang. Another friend was […]
Author, scholar/activist, researcher, teacher, ritual artist and social midwife, Dr. Love helps people give birth to new life stories. A native South Carolinian, she grew up surrounded by stories. Her favorite past time was listening to the Bible stories, fairy tales, animal stories and real life stories her parents and grandparents told. She wove these […]
Everyone has a story to tell. Sometimes things happen that immediately change the course of events and begin a new story. On August 19, 2013 something like that happened for me. I received a phone call informing me that my son had been found dead in his apartment, due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The […]
