L. D. Parker

Where do you draw the very fine line between being dedicated to something you’re doing and being obsessed with it? As a writer, that line is razor thin. My writing is my art and my heart. It is what I feel in my soul that I must do. This is not an optional task for me, it is a critical part of who and what I am. But having just spent a weekend where my little ones were away for a few days and I was alone at home, I realized today I literally did NOTHING but write. Did I

I’ve never really been one to keep my opinions to myself, but I’ve also never been someone who goes out and protests or demonstrates. I’m more of the work-in-the background, let’s see how to really accomplish change kind of person. There is a phrase I’m fond of throwing out to people—Concurrence By Silence. It simply means agreeing with what is going on around you by doing nothing more than being silent about it. Silence is easy. Speaking Out is hard. Like everything els

Change is good…right? Well, no. Not always. During the 2008 elections, Change became a buzzword. It’s what Obama campaigned on. But it wasn’t exactly a new stance to take. Locally, when Adrian Fenty ran for mayor that was a large portion of his platform too. In fact, I think in some variation or another, it is what every politician campaigns on, just not always using the word Change. The fact of the matter is that Change is a part of life. Some Changes are welcomed an

This post is the final in a three part series on the topic of suicide. Click for the first and second parts. My final set of thoughts on the subject of suicide have to do with those who choose to involve others in the termination of their lives, without consent. I should probably warn that this is the one segment that I am virtually incapable of being neutral or understanding on. My feelings are very strong, so if you consider this to be an okay thing to do, you may want t

This post is the first in a three part series on the topic of suicide. Click for the first and third parts. Death in general is an uncomfortable topic, one that we tend to avoid discussion of—at least most Americans do. Suicide is viewed in such a way that it is whispered about…glossed over…never really talked about. Why is this? It’s too “private”? It’s “shameful”? Or maybe because most of us just don’t understand it. I tend to fall into the “don’t understand” category

This post is the first in a three part series on the topic of suicide. Click for the second and third parts. This is a tough one. Early this week I learned that someone I knew died over the weekend. A few days later I found out that it was a suicide. That one word instantly changed my feelings on the death, which has given me cause to pause and examine my thoughts on this very taboo subject. This posting is the first in a series of three on this subject, because my feelin

My closest friends (and now all who read this) know that I have battled with Body Image problems my entire life. The reason is simple—I’ve battled with my weight my entire life. I’ve also generally speaking been close friends with really attractive people…as in those who on the scale of 1 – 10 tend to rate 8 – 15. I’m not sure why this is, but the result of it has frequently been to feel not so great about my appearance in comparison to theirs. Understand, this has never

As we enter this holiday weekend full of celebrations of Americana, fireworks, and the best invention ever—grilled food—I pause to look at what it is we’re really celebrating, and what it means. Sadly, many Americans are not fully clear on what this day celebrates, and even sadder, if you Google it the first entry has to do with the movie, and the second with a video game—based on the movie. It’s not until the third entry that you get the Wikipedia entry. Independence Day