Dear Buffy the Vampire Slayer…

When I was 11 I wrote a fan letter to Sarah Michelle Gellar. To my surprise, I got a response. At the time I was obsessed with her show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and wanted to let her know how much I loved it. Looking back, writing a letter with anticipation of getting a response was naïve but I believed something would happen if I did, so I went for it. (Imagine what would happen for you if you possessed that kind of faith as an adult.) Even more surprising was the fact that my parents let me watch the show. I was raised Christian and remember a church member at the time referring to the show as “demonic”, but if my parents didn’t have a problem with me watching it, I was unbothered. At the time, I thought there was no one cooler than a butt kicking teenager who fought vampires, went to high school, and had close friends. Buffy Summers was awesome. I can’t remember exactly what I wrote in the letter, but I do remember how excited I was to see a letter from California waiting for me when I got home from school. With excitement, I ripped open the sealed envelope and there was an autographed photo of Sarah Michelle Gellar that read, Best Wishes xoxo. I thought I was the coolest kid ever. I took the autographed photo to school, showed all my friends and teachers, and was told that it probably wasn’t really hers, but as an eager 5^th grader, it was real to me. As a kid, I can’t think of a cooler fan moment than getting the kind of response I did. Although I no longer have the photo, it’s a fond fan girl memory I’ll never forget.

The Day I Became A Kidney Donor

About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...

I’m Glad I’m Not Married

When I was about five years old, I was sitting in the backseat of my dad’s car when me, him, my older cousin (my aunt’s son), and my aunt (my dad’s sister) caught my aunt’s fiancé with another woman. My dad had been driving my aunt out to run some errands since she didn’t have a driver’s license or a car. When she spotted her man with another woman, she told my dad to pull the car over, got out of the car, and immediately addressed him. She wanted the keys back to her apartment and was done with him. The other woman she caught her fiancé with slapped him when she realized what was happening, and that was that. When my aunt returned to the car, she was clearly and understandably upset, and the ride back to her place was quiet. Although I was too young to fully grasp what was happening at the time, I knew it wasn’t good. And now, at 34 years old, I can’t imagine how much pain she was in. Her wedding had been planned and paid for – and she never made it down the aisle. My aunt was a beaut...

How To Respond To A Nasty Email

Technology has made many people bold, rude, and incredibly messy. Often to the point where some may hide behind words they’ve typed instead of verbally communicating a message they want to convey. Such can be the case when it comes to sending emails. Ah, emails. You know what they are. Electronic messages that can be quickly drafted, sent, and misinterpreted (because you can’t always interpret tones or emotions through them). Which is why it’s key to know how to respond to nasty emails if they should ever come your way – especially in the workplace. As a working professional, there have been plenty of times when a coworker or superior sent an email my way that was petty, mad disrespectful, and unprofessional. And before I learned how to properly utilize email etiquette, my first instinct would always be to clap back. I just felt the need to respond and to communicate that I wouldn’t allow anyone, no matter who they were, to disrespect me. And while I haven’t taken t...

Making Waves