I have held firm to a weekly post for years now, but for months I have not been posting much at all. This is the reason - an on again, off again project called What They Carry. The on/off reasons will be explained later. It will be obvious to see that not the least of these would be better described as excuses.

The process here is not difficult. You see the image above with a silhouette of two people (one shadows another) surrounded by a constellation of unusual icons.

Each of these icons points to a personal story. Some will seem to favor humor on a sunny day sporting a cool breeze while others will be dark and overcast, with thunderous clouds of emotion. These stories reflect the more impactful lessons discovered throughout my years of interacting with Black brothers and sisters. Each matter to me as I continue this journey toward loving my neighbor - all of them.

If you want to follow the stories chronologically, start with the water bucket icon and move clockwise. Each icon includes a clickable link. The silhouette points to the wrap up for this project - a webpage that is easily navigated with the arrow keys on your laptop or mobile phone. 

To begin, click the Black button below. You will be taken to the same image in a clickable PDF. Since there are 11 stories plus a 20-page (they're short pages though) website, it is easy to download the PDF to your laptop for future reading/reference.

I have anguished about this publication for many months. Most of these stories will be exposed for the first time within this project. Nearly all of the emotion has been concealed for much of my life.

I encourage comments and discussions as long as they're civil, respectful, and based in a desire for understanding and enlightenment. 

Many of you will find it difficult to agree with what I've been experiencing. I absolutely encourage your comments - this is not an echo chamber. Maybe we can both learn something together.

Of course, my current fearfully anxious mood would also welcome supporting comments as well.
Thank you for spending your time reviewing this material. That also matters a great deal to me!Mike