Inspiration
Faith & Prayer
Health &
Wellness
Entertainment
Love &
Family
Newsletters
Special Offers
Beginner's Heart
Beginner's Heart
the 2nd best and most important job ever
By
Britton Gildersleeve
Two of my favourite things — actually four, if you include the ‘zen’ and ‘pencils’ as material objects… :). Teachers & poetry. And if you include social activism on behalf of teachers? You have knocked that homer out of the PARK. Because only family makes a bigger impact on a child than his or her…
in praise of grandparents
By
Britton Gildersleeve
I L♥VE this letter from a grandfather to his gay-hating daughter. The idea that there is shame attached to gender makes me crazy. I can’t imagine disowning a child for anything, and something as fixed as gender identification?? If it ever came to not speaking to one of my sons — which seems impossible —…
tea and sympathy
By
Britton Gildersleeve
This has NOT been a good week. It’s gone steadily downhill since Monday… 🙁 But it’s taken a turn for the better, and it’s all because I did a shamefully easy good deed: I lent 1/4 jar of molasses to my next-door neighbour. Laura was making her beloved sister’s recipe of iced ginger cookies, and…
the blame game, compromise, and windows
By
Britton Gildersleeve
Yesterday I overdosed on politics. I read blog after article after news piece after FB post. Ugh. I was left more than slightly nauseous, and wondering how American politics came to such an ugly place. Of course I have my own interpretation of what’s going on, but what saddens me is that politics now seems…
accents, stereotypes, and get over it
By
Britton Gildersleeve
At my niece’s wedding this past weekend, we all lapsed into Okie-speak: y’all, huh?, yep, et al. We were all family, and no one was judging us. Which isn’t the case lots of times. Saying just y’all in a meeting will — I guarantee you — garner more raised eyebrows than a profanity. For some…
Oklahoma breaking bad
By
Britton Gildersleeve
I have no idea what to put as an image for this post. It’s a subject very difficult to ‘picture,’ as the search for images only reveals the profound decay of users — ‘before’ & ‘after’ pictures that somehow seem more tragic than enlightening. Methamphetamine usage is big business in Oklahoma: Tulsa County has the…
someone else’s road
By
Britton Gildersleeve
I need to remember this. It’s easy to forget, as we move from middle age into elder-ing. That’s my term for what seems to be happening these past couple of years: nieces, nephews, former students, younger colleagues & friends — sometimes even sons! — asking for advice. Seeking input on life choices. I’m very lucky…
theories: empirical and not-so
By
Britton Gildersleeve
Total science nerd here. I adore science. Really — every year I buy the Best Science Writing 20-whatever. Or else my husband gets it for me as a present. 🙂 If I had my life to redo, I’d probably be a scientist. Or at least write more about science. Which may be why I’m ambivalent…
Buddha dogs and learning about love
By
Britton Gildersleeve
We have two dogs — both goofy-looking French bulldogs. The elder, Pascal, is sick. Turns out that despite being ‘guaranteed,’ AND xrayed, he has dysplasia. As well as a pinched nerve in his lower spine. He’s in a lot of pain. Most folks prefer his brother, Hugo the lovebug. Hugo will take up with strangers…
mouthy middle-aged white chicks…
By
Britton Gildersleeve
I freely admit I’m a loudmouth. AND political, to boot. Not to mention an engaged Buddhist, and a wannabe Unitarian. Which is to say, a total bleeding heart liberal with a big vocabulary. (As distinguished from a knee-jerk liberal — NOT what we like in my family.) This is not a good thing in some…
46
47
48
49
50
archives
most recent
search
this
blog
More from Beliefnet and our partners