Everything changed on Friday, February 17, 2017. Tom and I were sleeping in, only to be awakened by the doorbell, where one of my brothers stood to offer to drive me to the hospital to see Grandma because I hadn’t been answering my text messages. One of my uncles had made his daily morning phone […]
Safety Pins and Entry Level Allyship
As a white woman with autism and mental illness, the overt and covert discrimination I face as a disabled person is much different than that of other marginalized groups. I acknowledge that. I’ve been trying to step up my personal game as an ally for POC and the LGBTQ community over the course of a […]
Why All ‘Healthy Living’ Books are Inherently Classist and Ableist
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When you’re chronically ill like I am, you are willing to try almost anything for even a little bit of relief from your daily burden of pain and other symptoms. Whether you try natural remedies or medical remedies first, you’re almost guaranteed to look into some of those “clean living” programs that use things like […]
Refusing the NYS Tests in 2016 – Our Latest Refusal Letter
I will readily admit that pretty much all of the text used herein was written by the fine people at NYSAPE and OptThemOut.com. This is our third year in refusing the tests, and I decided to include the text in the “we will opt in when…” graphic I’ve seen going around. Feel free to use […]
Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?
“Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?” was previously published on my Christian Humanism blog that no longer exists. As Christians, we are asked to accept the impossible with blind faith, that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, and rose from the dead after three days. A big part of […]
On the Unlikely Occasion That We Win the Powerball Jackpot
It may be less likely to win the billion-dollar-plus Powerball jackpot than getting struck by lightning while drowning, but someone is going to win eventually, and why not plan for the possibility? To preclude the onslaught of sob stories and requests for handouts, I thought I’d just lay out exactly who would be benefiting from […]
Why I Don’t Believe There is a War on Christmas
“Why I Don’t Believe There is a War on Christmas” was originally published on a Christian Humanist blog of mine that doesn’t exist anymore. Christian Humanists don’t buy into this fabricated “War on Christmas.” Yes, we believe in Jesus Christ. Sure, it’s great to celebrate His birth. But the whole “Spirit of Christmas” has gotten to […]
What is Christian Humanism?
A few years back, I tried to start a blog to discuss some of my religious beliefs, having left organized religion behind. Life happened, and it fell by the wayside after only a handful of posts were published. My beliefs are still in a state of flux, but I think it’s worth republishing what served […]
Our 2015 NYS Common Core Testing Refusal Letter
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Last year was the first year we even had to consider refusing the New York State exams for grades 3-8. The “opt out” movement is gaining more traction, although “opt out” is not the phrasing you want to use with your school – you want to be clear that you and your child are refusing […]
I Wear Pink for #AmandasArmy
Everyone knows that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and everything out there is turning pink. Polyvore is running a site-wide design contest in honor of the occasion, and this was my entry. (Ahoy, there be affiliate links below!) I Wear Pink for #AmandasArmy by christinagleason featuring a felt derby hat J TOMSON long […]
