Reach - Then Teach

Dear Hannah,

we can both reach

the finish line

by helping each other 

train and pace

to run our own race

but to run it right

we need to both pack light

to push some major freight

and pull our own weight

so hang in there when it 

doesn't go your way

hang in there when you have 

to say "bye bye" sometimes

to people, places, habits, 

and ideas that hinder

more than they help

sometimes you have to 

see it through

... and sometimes you have 

to see through it ...

Love,

Daddy

(Author of "A Long Walk … Towards Care, Concern, Respect, and Advocacy")

Dear Hannah,

I was assigned a role in this life before I was born ...

... but was then cast (thrown forcefully) into a cast (the actors in a play) according to caste ("social status or position conferred by a system based on class") ...

... hear me now ...

... my "truth" is "living in a daily lie" ...

... but the show must go on ...

Love,

Daddy

(Author of "A Long Walk … Towards Care, Concern, Respect, and Advocacy")

Dear Hannah,

Stick to the Master Plan (#MasterPlan) - even when current events make it feel like the world is out of control.

Love,

Daddy

(Author of "A Long Walk … Towards Care, Concern, Respect, and Advocacy")

Dear Hannah,

The road to reconciliation starts with ...

realization (of both the might and the plight),

respect (both spiritual essence and natural function),

reassurance (of commitment to the corrective plan and path - don't ask for trust ... EARN IT),

and REAL relationship (dealing with each other as EQUALS).

We've got a long way to go ...

... because we keep trying to start at the finish line ...

... and often label voices of reason as voices of treason ...

... but 'tis the season ...

... to answer folly ...

... defeat conceit ...

... then rinse and repeat.

We are not done yet.

Love,

Daddy

(Author of "A Long Walk … Towards Care, Concern, Respect, and Advocacy")

Dear Hannah,

Mistakes are great teachers because they grab your undivided attention.

Trees are great teachers, too.

You see all their majesty and might ... and their mistakes.

You see that ... even in their might (right?) ... they can still fall ... timber(!).

Love,

Daddy

(Author of "A Long Walk … Towards Care, Concern, Respect, and Advocacy")

Dear Hannah,

Keep your peace ...

... through doubt and uncertainty

... through headache

... through heartache

Love,

Daddy

(Author of "A Long Walk … Towards Care, Concern, Respect, and Advocacy")

Dear Hannah,

i'm the brother

from another planet

I travel each day

far, far away

... hear what they say ...

... then try to make sense of it ...

... lemme tell you what I

have LEarned ...

i ain't ya ...

Love,

Daddy

(Author of "A Long Walk … Towards Care, Concern, Respect, and Advocacy")

Dear Hannah,

You will live, love, win, lose, and LEarn while you are alive.

You will uplift and dignify.

You will win friends and influence people.

You will also disturb the status quo.

You will speak truth to power.

You will tell your own story.

Not everyone will read it.

Not everyone will believe it.

Not everyone will like it.

They may tell a different version.

What people think of you is none of your business.

Forget what they say.

Love,

Daddy

(Author of "A Long Walk … Towards Care, Concern, Respect, and Advocacy")

Dear Hannah ... If you are wondering ... "What do you DO with all these songs ...?" Thanks for asking. I have a catalog of 45 of these #Autoethnographies (self-reflective "studies") that anchor a yearlong (two-semester) course I developed called #TheSeeSayShow. Sharing them lets me see which ones "slap" (resonate with unprompted, diverse audiences). #TheSeeSayShow is my holistic response to what I see in my high school classroom every day. It paves a pathway to power and purpose through #Autoethnography (self-study), self-reflection, and small-group fellowship (AKA "discipleship"). I lead the way by sharing my journey with transparency (and discretion) ... as the leading student in my class (AKA "the teacher"). Each unit begins with one of these songs - which are effective at grabbing the attention of even "today's" distracted students. After sharing the song, I ask students "what do you remember" ... and "what do you wonder". That begins a unique conversation with each student ... that has no end. Each student's charge is to produce a multimedia "mixtape" (which is - like its musical counterpart - a talent display and historical archive) ... that includes self-selected artistic elements of self-expression (like "beatitudes" photoessays, songs, poems, stories) ... powered by an autoethnographic journal of self-reflective "thought partnership" with ChatGPT (like the one I have produced during Summer 2025 by taking my own class) ... developed according to the AI Reflective Pedagogy Protocol ... of how they "Holler" ... then keep adding to it ... then share it with their children's children. I will not see these "endings" ... but am honored to bear witness to the beginning. I am a "born witness" ... and have *borne witness* ... for a minute. #HappyFather'sDay ... and thanks for reading. Selah. Love, Daddy

Dear Hannah, Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation where someone makes another person doubt their own judgment, perception, or sanity. It is heinous (wicked), pernicious (harmful), prevalent, and *effective*. How do you combat something so powerful? How do you resist (refuse to accept or comply ... not be affected)? I can "see" the lies when I believe and respect the truth. I can "say" what accepts the lie, affirms the truth, accounts for those who believe either (or both) ... and walk in my assigned authority ... see, I am not assigned authority at ... but I have authority in this earth ... I can "show" others how to resist ... to speak their peace (of mind) ... and to speak their "piece" (of mind) ... Selah. Love, Daddy