Category: Embracing our connection
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Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep
My mother Callie Sue Tilghman Mulkey passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Below is a poem that I shared last night at an impromptu gathering of our clan. Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there; I…
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“Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” published 50 years ago today
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested while leading coordinated marches and sit-ins against racism and racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama in April 1963. Dr. King wrote “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” in response to “A Call for Unity“: a statement made by eight white Alabama clergymen against King and his methods. King’s letter was…
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On Turning 70
Today, on my 70th birthday, I’m recalling the catchphrase we freely cast about during the turbulent years of the late 1960s: “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” I was in my 20s then, unyielding, arrogant, bulletproof (in my mind anyway), and I think we spoke those words not only to set ourselves apart from our elders,…
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My personal journey from bigotry to equality
By the luck of the draw, in 1943, I was born white, male, heterosexual and middle class. I was instantly granted cultural privileges and advantages that gave me a distinct leg up as I made my way in the world. I grew up in a small town in Tennessee during the so-called “good old days,”…
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When Brucie Met Shonnie
I first laid eyes on Shonnie Lavender in 1995 when we both joined the Austin Fit Green Training Group for the Austin Motorola Marathon. It was August, and as usual, hot as Hades in the capitol city of Texas—highs in the upper 90s to lower 100s.
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My life with Chocolate
Chocolate came bounding into the world in Arlington, Texas in 1988, and from early on, it was obvious that this kitty had a mind of her own, a common trait of all felines, but especially pronounced in this energetic little bundle of fluffy black fur. My wife Deb and I had adopted Chocolate’s parents, Rocky…
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Mr. Rogers offered kids genuine acceptance and a unique model of manhood.
In a world in which men are seen as superheroes, testosterone-poisoned oafs, new-age sissies or simply clowns, Fred was the embodiment of a different image: a man who used his immense talent and commitment to his craft in service to humankind. He reached out to toddlers with unconditional love that seemed to well up from…
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Aging is inevitable, growing old is not.
We never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we are born. ~Albert Einstein Somewhere in the middle of your life, you meet an interesting new person. Yourself. ~Unknown If I’d known I was going to live this long I’d have taken better care of myself. ~Eubie Blake I harshly…