A Rambling Mama

 Having worked as a contractor to support the Buckeye Environmental Network (BEN), I gained an intimate look into the tireless and often underappreciated work of grassroots environmentalism in Ohio. The fight against big oil fracking in southeastern Ohio isn't a headline-grabbing story with easy victories; it's a grinding, deeply personal battle fought house by house, well by well. The work I did—helping to promote their initiatives—gave me a front-row seat to the resilience of a community and the dedication of an organization that refuses to back down, led by the late former Director Teresa Mills. This isn't just a story about politics and pollution; it's about the soul of a community fighting for its right to a clean and healthy home. The reality of fracking in places like Athens, Noble, and Washington counties is far from the industry's polished image. In these rural, often Appalachian communities, the promise of economic prosperity often rings hollow in the face...

Life seems to move so fast anymore, but there are still those creeping moments where everything comes to a standstill, and you get to just be present. The seasons keep changing, my son keeps growing, the work-week flows, and the weekends fly by, and I have found myself, more and more, looking up to the sky and wondering where Keith is and if he's looking back at me.  I believe he's in heaven, my faith tells me he is there, but my mind knows that I don't definitely know what I hope. I wish I could know for sure, but I just have to keep my faith that it is true.  Being a widow at a young age, which is all I know, comes with a multitude of issues. There's the general just after period when you are calling everyone who was ever connected to them, sorting through tax forms, medical insurance, pensions, and, if you're prepared, life-insurance policies. Then there's that middle ground of silence. No one really knows what to say; the phone calls stop, and the awkward ex...