By Nathan Coker
In Features
Jun 1st, 2026
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22 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve seen Husband cry. And I don’t mean the sad movies that wrestle the tears to the surface. I mean in the context of our daily lives. One such occasion happened about three years ago. I was in the madness of […]...
By Nathan Coker
In Features
May 1st, 2026
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37 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE The latent fear of my child experiencing hurt and disappointment is surfacing more now that my daughter is entering pre-adolescence. She’s a joiner – running for Student Council, registering for 5Ks, initiating friend activities. She makes community everywhere she g...
By Nathan Coker
In Features
Apr 1st, 2026
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83 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE I’m entering one of my restless periods, where I crash out on routine and crave stimulation and surprise. I’m reacting like I normally do, abandoning anything that feels normal or familiar and diving into the unknown. I’ve shaken up my workouts, my meals, my afternoon sch...
By Nathan Coker
In Features
Mar 2nd, 2026
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170 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE I once wrote about my fears for my children as they socially interact without me, how I winced on the playground, suppressing the impact to protect them from peer disappointment. Notably, I do not have this instinct with physical play, as I’m the last to think they should...
By Nathan Coker
In Features
Feb 2nd, 2026
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933 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE Over the course of my two decades in academia, I’ve benefitted from the oversight of unique personalities. I don’t think of myself as a traditional academic, and I’ve found, neither do many of my academic peers. In higher ed, like in other career paths, imposter syndrome ...
By Nathan Coker
In Features
Jan 5th, 2026
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281 Views
Article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE This January marks three years without my little sister Bonnie. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, her name came up, as it often does. I commented that I was getting used to holidays without her, and that the normalization of her absence felt unjust somehow. I no longer antic...
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Dec 1st, 2025
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512 Views
Article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE Before the Amazon takeover of commercial shopping, Black Friday meant early Thanksgiving bedtimes, 2 a.m. wakeup calls, and endless lines, all in the pursuit of a “Black Friday deal” – or so it did for many. Mom and I, being the rebels we still are, refused to parti...
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Oct 31st, 2025
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251 Views
Article By Meredith Mckinnie My childhood memories are a random montage of moments – notably, hugs, smiles, and laughter – the roots of positive communication. If we did anything well in my family, we certainly found any available humor. Laughter was, and still is, our universal language....
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Oct 1st, 2025
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408 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE I walk every morning, first thing before I get my day started. During the school year, I went out before the sun came up. Husband worried about my safety and started coming along – a win for me as I know he appreciates the exercise as much as I do. I so […]...
By Nathan Coker
In Meredith's Musings
Aug 28th, 2025
0 Comments
297 Views
article by MEREDITH MCKINNIE I sometimes joke with my dad that he should have been a professor. He lectures everyone incessantly. And his extemporaneous speeches are not always negative, but definitely impassioned. For whatever reason, he’s focused on this tree/topic, and by golly, he’s going to clim...
