I don’t know who needs to read this, but — This is just a reminder that abuse is never okay. It doesn’t matter if your partner is successful or famous. It doesn’t matter if it only gets physical once or twice a year. It doesn’t matter if he has abuse or trauma in his own […]

Deep Thoughts

July 30, 2024

A Public Service Announcement

For more than two decades, The Covenant School has been woven into the background of my everyday life. Nestled in the woods of one of Nashville’s wealthiest neighborhoods, you probably wouldn’t even notice it unless you happen to know someone working or attending school there. It’s small – only kindergarten through sixth grade – but […]

Deep Thoughts

April 8, 2023

In a time of despair, Nashville’s student protestors are my new heroes

  We are getting our first taste of spring weather this week here in Nashville. Temperatures are in the 70s, the sun is shining, the skies are a fresh-washed blue, and the daffodils are blooming. After months of pandemic-related problems and anxiety, it feels like we’re finally turning the page on a devastating chapter in […]

Deep Thoughts

March 3, 2022

Heading Out of One Global Crisis and into Another, Times are Rough

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard about the group called Moms for Liberty. Here in Tennessee and across the country, the conservative group is trying to ban ‘inappropriate’ books from school libraries and curriculums. Their hit list includes texts about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ruby Bridges, books about the LGBTQ+ experience, and […]

Books, Deep Thoughts, Personal

February 15, 2022

The Moms for Liberty are Right: Books are Dangerous.

When I moved to Nashville in 2000, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. After landing my dream job as a TV reporter, I’d managed to find a cheap and charming duplex apartment in the heart of Green Hills, close to bars and restaurants and shopping. I loved my new neighborhood, filled with […]

Deep Thoughts, Personal

January 20, 2022

Those White Houses Represent Everything I Hate About Nashville Right Now

I have news. And it’s going to shake some of you to the core. I’m not even kidding. At a dinner I attended last night, the small talk turned briefly to teens and tweens. “I just learned something horrifying from my teens, actually,” I said. (Because ‘something horrifying’ is always good for dinner parties with […]

Deep Thoughts, Humor, Personal

October 4, 2021

This Texting Mistake Could Be Ruining Your Life

Texting Etiquette

A good friend from my past posted on social media recently that a close family member suffering from COVID had been put on a ventilator. She asked for prayers. The next day, she posted anti-vax and anti-mask memes. On Saturday, a well-known local talk show host died of COVID. Although he was a COVID skeptic […]

Deep Thoughts, Personal

August 25, 2021

As Communities Fracture, The Solution is Simple — But So Very Hard.

A couple of years ago, my family and I went on a guided UTV tour of an exotic animal park in Tupelo. We jounced along in an off-road golf cart through a field full of zebras and buffalo while our guide told us about the animals’ personalities and habits. As we approached a group of […]

Deep Thoughts, Personal

May 13, 2021

An Unexpected Moment I’ll Never Forget

First, there was ice. It poured from the sky, covering the streets of Nashville on Valentine’s Day evening. In ordinary times, this would have caused a whole lot of chaos and grumbling across the city about ruined date nights and cancelled reservations. But these are not ordinary times. Since there’s nothing romantic about dinner for […]

Deep Thoughts, Family, Personal

February 24, 2021

We’ve Changed, and Our Snow Week Proved It

It’s my last visit to my parents’ home before they move and as usual, I’m staying in the rooms my grandmother occupied for a decade before her death in 2015. I was very close with my grandmother growing up and being among her things during our visits has definitely helped me say goodbye to her […]

Deep Thoughts, Personal

February 7, 2021

One Last Goodbye

My Grandmother