Summer is a busy travel time. I’m right now preparing for a trip to Topeka for a reunion with students and teachers who were with me at East Topeka Junior High back in the ‘70s. I describe this wonderful start to my career in Chapter 22 of Where the Water Meets the Sand. “I loved the job, the students, and the community. Those children taught me to teach. They teased me sometimes about my pronounced Texas twang, but over time, they embraced me.” I’m looking forward to this journey. Unlike a … [Read more...]

Thirty-five is an important number for me. It’s the number of years it took for Larry’s remains to be returned from Vietnam. And, as of July 1, 2016, it will be the number of years that I have been sober. When people ask me how I feel about maintaining my sobriety for so long, I tell them that I am grateful. I don’t take my sobriety for granted, and I will never forget how I came to be where I am today. I’m grateful for the people who helped me along the way, beginning with my grandmother who … [Read more...]

I so enjoyed sharing my new book, Where the Water Meets the Sand, with a wonderful group at The Twig Bookstore in San Antonio last Sunday. I’ve been reflecting on a question posed to me there by a man who identified himself as a neurologist. “Tyra, we often hear that people aren’t given more than they can handle. Do you agree with that? That people are not given more than they can handle?” I’ve heard that concept all my life, often in the context of religious or spiritual discussions, so … [Read more...]