Why Teacher Resources Matter More Than Ever
Teacher resources aren’t just “extras”—they’re what turn a book into a learning experience that sticks. Here’s why they matter, especially for a book like One Road Leads to Another. Heroes don’t always wear capes. Sometimes they carry stacks of papers, spend evenings grading assignments, arrive early to prepare lessons, and stay late […]
More Than Just a Story: Launching a Children’s Book That Builds Connection
There’s something special about a children’s book. At first glance, it might look simple—colorful pages, engaging illustrations, a story that unfolds in just a few minutes. But the best children’s books do something more. They create a pause in the day. A moment to sit down, lean in, and connect. And in […]
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. […]
Zootopia 2: A Counselor Walks Into a Theater (And Gets Sermoned by a Weasel)
Confession time: I had never seen the original Zootopia. I went into the sequel knowing exactly two things—Fortune was voicing a character, and hometown loyalty demanded I show up. I adore her as a human, her comedy is killer, and honestly, seeing Zootopia 2 was a perfect excuse to say, “Yep, […]
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 […]
A Shared Journey of Purpose and Connection
You may remember the excitement and gratitude I was feeling at the tail end of 2025 from this last post. Both of those emotions, and so many others, came from the fact that my beautiful daughter, Makensie Mauney-McDaniel, M.S., LCMHCA, NC, has joined Shepherd Way Counseling. I can’t think of a better […]
Moments of Grace and Angels
My daughter, Makensie, has always had such a bright, positive spirit, and I’m so grateful she’s always seen me and her dad through loving eyes. I remember her often talking about how much she loved seeing me wear heels to church or that suit-and-heel power combination to work. While I’ve embraced […]
