Category: Uncategorized
-
Sorry Mom
I grew up in Westwego, LA. Westwego is about a ten-minute drive from New Orleans. New Orleans is on the Eastbank of the Mississippi River, and Westwego is on the Westbank. Where I was raised was walking distance from canals, swamps, bayous, and lakes, and as a kid, I spent countless hours in and by…
-
I want to be where the people are…
“I want to be where the people are…” Do you remember the first time you went to the movie theatre? What did you see? I remember the first time I went to the movie theatre. My mom brought me to see The Little Mermaid when I was 4-years-old. It was my first time seeing a movie on…
-
Practicing Gratitude
When was the last time you practiced gratitude? I’ll wait… Most of the time, when we speak about practicing gratitude, we think about being grateful for things other than ourselves. Yes, that is great! We should be thankful for the people and things we have in our lives. I think it is vital to tell…
-
Toot Toot!
When I was in 7th grade, I moved up to the junior high school (Worley Junior High School in Westwego, LA). In 6th grade, I had two teachers that taught us all the subject. Moving to 7th grade where we had seven different teachers took some getting used to. In elementary school, I loved P.E.…
-
Just swallow the baby…
Growing up in New Orleans, you learn how to eat spicy food at an early age, and you know that January 6 is the first day you can buy a King Cake. Since I moved from the South, my mom has sent me a Haydel’s Bakery King Cake on January 6 each year. I currently…
-
Dancing through life…
When I was a kid, I never stopped dancing. As soon as I was in my bedroom—with the door closed, of course—I would be twirling and doing the splits. I don’t recall ever seeing anyone dance, other than dancers in the music videos my brothers would watch, but I always loved dancing. From dancing to…
-
Pick a side…it’s just gender.
I would like to preface this post by saying I have identified as non-binary and queer for a very long time. I struggle with proclaiming my pronouns as they/them/theirs because I have watched other people in my vocation struggle with it in their churches. You see, I direct music in the Episcopal Church—a church that…
-
First Day of School
I know a lot of people went to preschool; well, I didn’t. I turned 5-years-old on March 14, 1989, and in August I went to kindergarten. It’s funny how some memories are so vivid and others are so vague. My memories of going to my first day of kindergarten are very vivid. I remember my…
-
What are you looking at, faggot?
Have you ever felt like you were in a room and everyone in that room hated you? Well, welcome to 2nd grade, Westley. I remember it like it was yesterday. 2nd grade is such a big step in our educational journey, and I felt like I didn’t fit in with any of my peers. Reading…
-
Preface
I always knew I was different. I knew I wasn’t like all the other boys—or girls at that matter. But, I never thought of myself as special, talented, or unique until later in my life. If you had asked me if I thought I was special when I was in the 8th-grade, I would have…
Westley Art Hodges 