2026-10-21
The Walls We Build and How to Break Them
It's a curious thing, isn't it, how we humans build walls. Not always literal walls, mind you, but walls around our hearts, around our minds, around our very...
Gloria Hayes
Retired after 31 years teaching third grade. Now I go to my grandchildren — New York, Raleigh, Florida. Jerry holds down the fort. I find the food bank in every city. This is not slowing down.
2026-10-19
Understanding Your Child’s Big Feelings
Sometimes, it seems like a child’s sudden outburst comes from nowhere. A tantrum in the grocery store, a meltdown over a misplaced toy – it can leave you fee...
2026-10-14
The Power of Simple Joy
Sometimes, I think we make things far more complicated than they need to be. All those years teaching, trying to unlock complex literary themes for children ...
2026-10-13
The Weight of Worry, A Quiet Presence
Sometimes, watching your parents age is like watching a slow rain fall, relentless and softening the edges of the person you thought you knew. Not in a bad w...
2026-10-08
Quiet Moments, Enduring Peace
Sometimes, the weight of things just settles on your shoulders like a heavy shawl. I felt it particularly last week, after those first-day-of-school calls. E...
2026-10-07
Unburdening Boys: Redefining Strength and Worth
Sometimes, I think about the boys I taught, all those years. Such earnest faces, such a desperate need to *be* something. To be strong, to be silent, to be…w...
2026-10-06
The Weight of Things, The Space to Breathe
Sometimes, I think we hold onto things not because they matter, but because they remind us of a time when we *thought* they mattered. That little ceramic bir...
2026-10-05
The Quiet Strength of Growing Up
Sometimes, I think the hardest thing about being a grandparent is seeing a sweet child, full of promise, simply… give up. Eli, my oldest grandson, bless his ...
2026-10-05
Quiet Nights and a Listening Heart
It seems like only yesterday I was worrying about Eli starting school. Fredericksburg felt so far away that morning, even with the phone pressed to my ear, h...
2026-10-01
Embracing Many Things A Life Unfolding
Sometimes, I watch the young people these days, fresh out of school, and I see them wrestling with a feeling I think I understand. Not entirely, of course. T...
2026-10-01
The Quiet Weight of Dimmed Light
Sometimes, I find myself just…dimmed. Not unhappy, mind you. Not grieving, or angry, or any of the things that would rightly prompt concern. Just…less bright...
2026-10-01
Beyond Certainty A New Understanding
It’s a curious thing, isn’t it, how we assume certain things about people, about families, about what makes a good life? I’ve spent a good many years in a cl...