Laura B. StearnsApr 10, 20215 minThe Sun Finally Sets for Big RedMy mother was a badass. Not in a Xena Warrior Princess kind of way, but a warrior nonetheless. She was 5’ 2” but her nickname was “Big...
Laura B. StearnsApr 3, 20215 minThe Death RattleThere is a sound reverberating through the house tonight. It’s the sound of my mother’s labored last breaths. She will soon find her way...
Laura B. StearnsJan 9, 20213 minA WAR THAT HAS NO NAMEThere is an image from Wednesday’s siege of the Capitol building that is so disturbing to me. It’s not the guy with his feet on Speaker...
Laura B. StearnsDec 30, 202012 minDANCING ON LANDMINESDANCING ON LANDMINES: The Continuing Saga of CTC I saw a photograph the other day that sent me directly to the core of my trauma. An old...
Laura B. StearnsSep 26, 20203 minTHE JOURNEY“The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet.” Lao-Tzu RBG died a week ago today. I’ve spent much of this past week in...
Laura B. StearnsSep 23, 20204 minTIME TO LISTENThere’s a lot of noise in the world right now; firecrackers, gun shots, sirens, people yelling at each other, dogs barking, horns...
Laura B. StearnsSep 19, 20202 minI DARE YOU, MITCHGive us a reason, I dare you. We are circling. We weep over the body of our beloved warrior sister Ruth, but don’t mistake our tears for...
Laura B. StearnsJun 28, 20205 minTHE NAMES OF FLOWERSHeartbreak can look like many things. An ice-cream cone upside down on a sidewalk, the plaintive wail of a mother in mourning, a goose...
Laura B. StearnsJun 8, 20208 minLEARNING TO WALK: A White Lady’s Opinion on Minnesota Nice, White Privilege, and Police ReformI recently watched a series on Netflix called “Babies”. In it the researchers find that human infants, though unable to walk at birth,...
Laura B. StearnsMar 23, 20203 minPERMISSION TO DO NOTHINGI’m giving myself permission to be a slacker. There, I’ve said it. I’ve been watching people via social media, because we can’t actually...
Laura B. StearnsDec 11, 20191 minI am nothingI am nothing if not my word. I'm not sure where I first heard that, but it has stuck with me. What am I if not my word? I am an...