My family of choice

You may not know this about me, but I'm an avid Buzzfeed reader. Some of the stories are wacky and not really "up my alley" but then some are very thought-provoking. Some, well some are just plain hilarious and make me laugh uncontrollably. Some of the posts are just plain wrong and I'll let you stumble upon them if you dare.

Heels are no joke!

Did you know that 1 in 4 college-age women report surviving rape or attempted rape? That is a staggering fact that sobers me every time I read it even as I am unable to comprehend a number that equates to roughly 400,620 women in 2010 (latest statistics available). That doesn't sound like too many until you realize that it is more than the populations of Richmond, VA and Newport News, VA combined.

Maybe the number would make more sense if broken down into something more meaningful. Longwood University has 4,355 undergraduates. Of them, 69% are women meaning that there are roughly 3,005 undergraduate women. If statistics hold true, then roughly 751 Longwood undergraduates have experienced rape or attempted rape.

Yikes.

Life is messy

The saying goes, life is messy but better than the alternative.

I've recently had the occasion to experience the death of another grandparent. This is the third grandfather to pass in my life. While I don't remember my mom's father all that well, my (step)grandfather Jack and my granddaddy Blakely have been an active part of my life for as long as I can remember. Jack's passing made me reflect on how tangible items can prompt jogs down memory lane; how having a physical "touch stone" can reconnect us with our past.