He stood and watched. She stood and watched. They watched as their bodies became overwhelmingly drenched from the cold and misty rain. 

Rain that surprised them and others too. However, there was something hopeful about the moment: A few others were carrying umbrellas. 

a protecting force or influence. 

There is power in the moment someone offers you an umbrella during heavy rain. You don’t think to hesitate as you hop under. You trust that someone to hold the umbrella steady. You trust that someone to walk with you until you’re in a safe, dry place OR until you’ve reached your own umbrella. 

It is possible, ya know? To be a country without poverty. To be a country for the people. To be a country that respects skin color. It all starts with those carrying their umbrellas. 

They’re not all going to look the same, our umbrellas, that is. However, in some way, we are all carrying one. Some big. Some small. But we all have them either with us or....stored away. 

Ask yourself, are you holding the umbrella to be the change for someone?

by dede dunham

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Under Dede's Umbrella

On April 5th, 2018, Rondreiz Cortez "Junior" Phillips went missing from Claiborne Parish. His family says he was playing in the front yard of their home on Howard Road in Lisbon, Louisiana. He was four years old at the time of his disappearance. He would be seven today.

Junior was last wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and yellow and black rubber boots. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Claiborne Parish Sheriff at (318) 927-2011.


The Developmental Effects on the Daughter of an Absent Father Throughout her Lifespan - The 21st-century phrase “daddy issues” is used ubiquitously in society, particularly on social media. This colloquial term references the psychological issues that often arise in women who have grown up without a father figure. Although it is typically used in a colloquial manner, there is a lot of truth behind the phrase.


There are in fact numerous challenges that inevitably come along with the lack of a father figure from one’s life, particularly a female’s. While both genders may experience detrimental consequences from growing up fatherless, this phenomenon is known to affect women differently, and debatably more drastically.