Author Archives: Dana

A Lion is not a House Cat

My first therapist made an illustration for me that was so impactful that I’m still telling sharing it with others today. I was sitting on her sofa, ranting and raging about my mother. I was telling about how she manipulated me, tried to shame me for saying “no” because she was my mother, how sheContinue reading “A Lion is not a House Cat”

Cinderella Story

Have you ever heard someone’s story and thought How is this possible? They tell the story as if it’s magical, like a Cinderella story. Two particular people come to mind when I think of Cinderella stories, the first is Tyler Perry from homeless to self-made billionaire and the next is Steve Harvey from living inContinue reading “Cinderella Story”

Sit With Me in the Dark

I was walking the Beltline in Atlanta the other day when a little girl maybe around the age of 10 rolled passed me on her scooter. Earlier I had passed her and her parents so I knew they were right behind me. All of a sudden she lost her balance and fell. You could hearContinue reading “Sit With Me in the Dark”

Anger Management

The abandonment wound is real. When abandonment survivors are conditioned to self-abandon and leave themselves to not rock the boat, to meet someone else’s needs, to be loved, and/or to be accepted the lines can get blurred quickly. Underlying rage and anger bleeds into fear and this is where it gets messy. We rather suppressContinue reading “Anger Management”

Love ❤️ is the Target 🎯

If your son, daughter, mother or father or someone you dearly loved was gay, queer, bisexual, transgender, or plus would you be posting the viral videos of Target’s new attire? Would you be so judgmental? Note that Target is behind. They are not the first major retailer to launch attire for PRIDE 🌈 month. NordstromContinue reading “Love ❤️ is the Target 🎯”

It’s Time When It’s the Right Timing

In 2020 after the pandemic hit, I started writing a memoir about my relationships from childhood to adulthood. I wrote raw truth that I’ve kept vaulted for the most part. In 2021 after my moving back to Atlanta I continued writing and finished a very important part of my life. I also joined a well-knownContinue reading “It’s Time When It’s the Right Timing”

Angel vs Devil Wars

Do you remember seeing a cartoon that showed a devil with his pitchfork on one shoulder and the Angel with his halo and wings on the other shoulder? Most of us have seen it in many cartoons like Fat Albert, Tom and Jerry, The Simpsons, and many more. It’s how I illustrate the difference betweenContinue reading “Angel vs Devil Wars”

Stop Normalizing “Happy”

Can we stop normalizing the word “Happy”? Yesterday was Mother’s Day and everyone keeps saying “Happy Mother’s Day” but everyone I spoke to was everything but happy. Truth be told, people are suffering. They are grieving over losses. They are suffering from the loss of their childhood, their childhood wounds, the wounds of abandonment, andContinue reading “Stop Normalizing “Happy””

Mom’s Broken Mirror

“As newborn babies, we arrived in the world with natural, innate needs that had to be met for us to develop into mature human beings. However, even in the best circumstances, our parents inevitably could not meet all of our developmental needs perfectly. No matter how well-intentioned they were, at certain times they had difficultyContinue reading “Mom’s Broken Mirror”