Sweetgrass Is Around Her A woman was sittingon a rock.I could see herclearly,even thoughshe was far away.She was Teiohontasen,my mother’s aunt.She was abasket maker.When I was young,my mother told methat her name meant,“Sweetgrass is all around her.”I thought that it was a good namefor a basket maker.She was in her eightiesthen.She was short like me,and […]
Author Archives: Tessa
Jeremiah Justice!
Four years ago, I found my way to Highlights Foundation for a children’s writing workshop. Remember the Highlights magazines that you may have thumbed through as a kid – that Highlights. The family created a nonprofit for authors and inspiring authors to learn together. A fellow writer and friend in Minnesota suggested that it’s a […]
Learning some tools
Many years ago, I had what one calls juvenile arthritis. In some circles, they say cystic fibrosis-related arthritis. It started at 12. For me, the best-educated guess I have is that I absorbed everything and held everything in. Now – mind you, in some ways, it didn’t seem like I had a choice, at least […]
SNAFU
I made a big SNAFU this week. A SNAFU: SNAFU is widely used to stand for the sarcastic expression Situation Normal: All Fucked Up, as a well-known example of military acronym slang. However, the military acronym originally stood for “Status Nominal: All Fucked Up.” It is sometimes bowdlerized to all fouled up or similar.[3] It means that the situation is bad, but […]
Take a little time
I am going to talk about financial goals – and you may give me an eye roll, a yawn, and that’s okay. Is financial stuff boring – maybe? Boring is often the most important. It is about planning well; living well. Chatting with a friend of mine – she always gives me sound financial tips […]
Intentionality
The Oxford English Dictionary defines modulation as regulate or adjust, moderate. Adjust or vary the tone or pitch of (the speaking voice). “The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘modulate’ includes the idea of ‘tuning’ to a key or pitch, or keeping in measure or proportion, as well as the idea of ‘varying’ amplitude, frequency, or phase ‘for the transmission of information.’ […]
You got your story
Story, story, story – what makes a good story? I wrote a piece last week and the class workshopped it.I wrote this piece to be imperfect. I am not perfect, and I am a bit scrappy. I am serious about my writing, but I am not overly-serious about it. And there is a point in […]
How Can I Help?
Remember my pharmacy debacle not that long ago? Which one? Good question – The one a little over month ago when I almost had a breakdown. I had to gather my wits and assemble my thoughts. After I wrote that blog, people gave me ideas. One, I reached out to my social worker and basically […]
We Never Forget
A couple summers back I visited my friend in Michigan. She lives near Detroit and in the midst of the Big Three: Henry Ford world headquarters in Dearborn, GMC headquarters in Detroit, and Chrysler Headquarters in Auburn. Here is map to get the lay of the land. Greenfield village is known as “The Village” at […]
Space to breathe
Space to breathe (a draft) Moments shift you Wake you – to become more of you, the you, you haven’t met, yet, soon to be —————————————————- The force: my bottom lifts off the seat, knees hit like a bell swings, I sink, to the floor behind my friend in the driver’s seat —————————————————- I look […]
