"To provide for those who grieve...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes." Isaiah 61:3 Last night during my small group for church, our pastor had us reflect on the biblical passage: "The people who survived the sword, found favor in the wilderness while Israel was seeking rest" (Jeremiah 31:2). That passage evokes… Continue reading Beauty for Ashes
In my travels and the many places I have called home over the years -- from Ghana to Cambridge, England -- the lessons I learned from watching my mother make spaces has stayed with me in very real ways. Placemaking by naming and claiming space is an act of resistance. It calls forth my right… Continue reading Making Space, Building Place
From age 4 to 18 I lived in the type of sleepy towns you read about in books, where people don't always lock their doors, unless of course you're us - the only non-white family around for many years. In that case your world is surrounded by Confederate flags in a state that was part… Continue reading Saying Goodbye to A Town Where Time Does Not Reside, Part 1
"During the time between ending one project and beginning another, I always have a crisis of meaning." - bell hooks There are instances. Instances when I will stand still outside amongst the bustle of life and close my eyes and imagine that I am as alone as I sometimes feel. There is a deep well… Continue reading On Leaving (Again) and Thoughts that Have No Words
This was the first time that I did not begin a new journey with time spent reflecting in the Town Where Time Does Not Reside. I boarded my flight in London and came straight to this new beginning in Philadelphia, the weight of time zones and memories jarring the journey. There was a moment on… Continue reading Choice Revisited: A Black Woman Reflects on Alice Walker and Returning Home
Last night I turned on to an all too familiar street and felt the usual bubble of laughter rise up in my throat as I glanced at the cross streets of my apartment: Bruce and Wayne. One can't help but love living at the corner of the Dark Knight himself. It's just one of the… Continue reading It’s Home, Even if It Is a Bit Messy
This morning I packed my bags and marveled at how I had come home with half a carry on bag full of clothes and was leaving with a huge checked suitcase and a very full carry on bag. I said goodbye to the snow and hugged my family goodbye, and hopped on board a plane… Continue reading A Farewell to Home and Vacation
There's nothing like being trapped in a mini blizzard to get your mind reflecting on all kinds of subject. One such subject that has been on my mind recently started when I moved to Miami. I have gotten used to the question of where I went to school, but I never realized that I was… Continue reading Once Upon a Time in a Treehouse
Odelia Younge 