Citizen Police Academy

Citizen Police Academy

Does gun safety advocacy come with perks? Well, I don’t get heath insurance coverage, gym memberships or even a paycheck, but I do work with some of Austin’s finest police officers—an Assistant Police Chief who’s attended every gun safety event...
Paying My Price of Discomfort

Paying My Price of Discomfort

Have you ever signed up to learn something—and a day before you’re about to start the class you realize what a totally insane idea it was? Yeah? My stroke of genius was the day I signed up for the public speaking workshop. I am super awkward on stage, in front...
A Forgiving Message from the scene of the Crime

A Forgiving Message from the scene of the Crime

Do you ever wonder if the universe is sending you a message? That’s how I felt returning to the scene of the crime. I was at ease, for once, the first time I felt that way in North Carolina since Jon died. Boone was no longer a place like Death Valley. Keeping my...
The New Talk

The New Talk

The gun was there because it was a room with young adults, after an evening of drinking, and they did not bring enough education and training before that deadly moment—the one when an accident ended Jon’s life and turned mine into years of recovery from grief and...