The 70-Year Echo: A Legacy of Victory Over Death
Sometimes we go looking for one memory and end up finding something we never expected. In November 2021, I was searching for our wedding video. I wanted to relive the joy of a beginning—to remember a day filled with hope, promises, and celebration. Instead, I found a message about something far […]
The View from the Dental Chair: Tornadoes, Tradition, and the “Garys” of the World
There is something inherently vulnerable about sitting in a dental chair. You’re reclined, mouth open, staring at a television mounted on the wall—hoping for a good report and, in my case yesterday, keeping a close eye on the weather. I was at South Point Family Dentistry for my routine six-month cleaning. […]
The MLK Lesson I Didn’t Learn in School (and What I’m Teaching My Kids Instead)
Guest post by Makensie Mauney-McDaniel, MS, LMHCA, NCC When you don’t have many Black family members, it can feel like the responsibility to make sure your children grow up in a diverse and truthful world falls almost completely on you and your husband. That pressure is real, because being around different […]
The Roots of Our City: Weaving History, Resilience, and Love
I recently had my annual doctor’s appointment in Charlotte. As I was leaving Atrium Health—which many locals still call CMC—I smiled when I spotted a sandcastle emblem on a license plate. Atrium’s logo is the Tree of Life, a symbol with roots in ancient times. But as I looked at that […]
The Shield and the Burden: Why We Can’t Afford to be Colorblind (Birthstory Part 2)
You may recall that, in a few prior posts, I shared the beauty of my first grandchild’s birth and how my daughter is now carrying the weight of worry that Black mothers feel when it comes to raising boys. Together, we’ve felt compelled to dive even deeper into this reality […]
The Weight of Raising Black Joy: Guest Post from Makensie Mauney-McDaniel, MS, LMHCA, NCC
The hardest part of parenting is trying to give my sons a better life. This is especially true because I am aware of the mental health toll that growing up Black, even as a biracial person in a predominantly white area, took on me. Now, raising fully Black sons with two […]
Visiting the NC Transportation Museum
In my last post, I mentioned one of the highlights of 2025 — a “Wizard of Oz” moment —was visiting the NC Transportation Museum, located right across from my grandfather Shepherd’s old watchmaking school. He passed 25 years ago to the day, yet there I was, feeling the connection between the generations. Those closest to […]
Remembering Our Family’s Stories: Why They Matter for Our Mental & Emotional Well-Being
The months following my dad’s passing have been a whirlwind. As I mentioned in my last post, grief is much like the wake behind a moving boat, and I have days when I’m certain my boat will be swamped with water and sink. However, it has also made me realize, even […]
A Bittersweet Change of Pace
It’s our first trip to my parents’ beach condo without my dad. As my readers know, my beloved father is battling dementia and Parkinson’s. The constant vigil of being a caregiver to a fading loved one is a labor of love, but it is also draining. We all needed a break. So, for my […]
Watching a Bright Star Dim: My Father’s Journey with Parkinson’s
Watching a bright star fade is more than a fleeting spectacle; it is a doorway to profound insights and contemplations of what may come next. As we gaze upon these celestial changes, we are reminded of the universe’s ever-changing nature and our place within it. The dimming of a star, though […]
