Category: Family
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My Best, Longest Friend
I met Danny Johnson in 5th Grade. It was recess at Westlake Elementary School in Santa Cruz, California. I was walking on the field near the “Butt’s Up” wall, and I noticed three classmates sitting close together in a triangle. They were taking turns looking at each other and saying “Yuh!” It was a very…
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Be Who You Be
When I was 26 and fresh out of graduate school, I began the process of beginning my career. In the ministry, it’s called searching for a call. My first interview was at a congregation in Long Beach, so I drove from San Jose down to Southern California and stayed the night at the home of…
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Sister
I’m one of those lucky people in the world that has a sister. Her name is Michal and it’s her birthday today. Here are some cool things about her: She’s organized, but can tolerate mess. (Growing up, her room was a mess, but she tolerated me.) On road trips, Michal likes stopping to see weird…
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I Read a Book Once
Recently I realized I’ve done my post-high school education in three regions of the country where my four grandparents were from. As an undergrad, I attended Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, the Pacific Northwest. My grandmother Broadbent grew up in Seattle. For my Masters, I went to Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. My…
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Yet
Close to the center of the seat of power A boy walks in black Vans And his favorite plaid fleece, black and white, with flecks of pink The dog-eared cold does not faze him The traffic, noxious and insistent, rolls right off him This boy, one boy, from one town among so many Dreams of…
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But You Didn’t
On a previous entry, I talked about the East Coast road trip my dad and I took the summer following my first year of college. On that same trip, we visited some friends in Virginia. I forget the name of the town, but it was summer, so I remember the insects. We went for a…
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Trayvon’s Sweatshirt
Yesterday my son, Marin, and I visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I had wanted to visit the last time we were here, in 2016, but it had recently opened and tickets were not available. Once entering, we looked at the map and agreed the first place we wanted to go…
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Middle School Girls’ Volleyball
I’ve been coaching the 7th and 8th Grade Girls’ Volleyball Team at my daughter Sophia’s school. Actually, I was the assistant coach because a teacher at the school agreed to be the head coach. She was awesome. A P.E. teacher who played volleyball in college, I learned a lot from her. 20 girls signed up…
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