I hope all those candles and flashlights we were gathering in anticipation of Winter Storm Fern are shining on new and old truths. I pray that many in our country find the courage to admit and apologize for mistaken beliefs.

Dear Neighbor, 

I was raised to stand up for myself. In the 50s, when girls were often silenced, I was encouraged to speak up for whatever it was I believed; that it wasn’t wrong to have a strong belief and debate it with others. There was one rule from my daddy, “If facts prove you wrong, then you admit it and apologize for your mistake. 

By the time I was in first grade I was questioning those in power. When my teacher didn’t believe my story about the bears coming up to cars in the mountains, I took her photographs the next day. When she slapped my hand with the ruler for reading comic books at school, I looked her in the eye, held up my inch thick, illustrated Sleeping Beauty, and said, “this is no comic book, this is Walt Disney.” I quickly learned that the strongest convictions aren’t always correct. I also realized that sometimes admitting you’re wrong can lead to better solutions or important questions. Mine at the time was, “This book is harder to read than my primer Alice and Jerry and more interesting. Why would you spank me with a ruler for reading?” Sometimes the unsatisfactory answers you receive can be the catalyst for change.  

Today I read an Ida B. Wells quote, “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” I hope all those candles and flashlights we were gathering in anticipation of Winter Storm Fern are shining on new and old truths. I pray that many in our country find the courage to admit and apologize for mistaken beliefs. Thank you, Mama and Daddy, for instilling a love for reading, history, and facts that sustains me today as I continue to stand up for my beliefs in 2026 and ask hard questions of those in power. 

“Dear Neighbor” authors are united in a belief that civility and passion can coexist. We believe curiosity and conversation make us a better community.