grief
Losing a family member is one of the most traumatic life events; Families must support one another to endure the five stages of grief and get through it together.
't was the Thread: a tribute
It was 'round 2020 when I started writing about my grandfather. Cats, it is said, can feel when their death is coming. I was like a cat in this regard; only I didn't perceive my end, just someone else. My muse would sit at the table and suggest me that it was the time to write about grandpa.
Life before and after Covid19.
Growing up in the West Indies as a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a nurse. The time came and I got the opportunity to travel to Canada, I was happy and sad at the same time. Happy that I got the chance to travel and sad that I was leaving my family behind. I did not get accepted into the nursing program, so I decided to become a personal support worker.
Yvette HerdPublished 2 months ago in FamiliesThe Ultimate Betrayal Pt.1
The Betrayal That Cracked Our Family Like a Boom Whumpf! The news landed in my inbox like a sack of bricks. A text from my cousin, Sarah, a jumble of words that sent a cold dread slithering down my spine. My Great-Grandma Millie, the woman who dispensed wisdom alongside slices of her legendary pecan pie, was in a nursing home. The worry gnawed at me, a persistent buzz in my brain. But what came next was a revelation that would crack the foundation of our family like a** boom.**
Taeja WilliamsPublished 2 months ago in FamiliesThe Ultimate Betrayal Pt.2
Dust Motes in a Silent Symphony Dust motes danced a jig in the neglected sunlight creeping through Grandma's dusty windows. Silence pressed down heavy, a stark contrast to the woman who once filled this space with booming laughter and the soul-warming scent of her legendary buttermilk biscuits. Grief threatened to drown me, but beneath the sorrow, a spark flickered to life. My firecracker of a grandma, a woman who'd stared down dust storms and Depression-era hardships with a withering look, wouldn't have gone gentle into that good night. Neither would I.
Taeja WilliamsPublished 2 months ago in Families- Content Warning
"Every Love Story is a Ghost Story"
I’ve been reading a book of great importance to me. It’s not the content that’s important so much as the person the book belonged to, but we’ll get to that. This is perhaps the fifth or sixth time I have picked this book up and started through it. Sometimes I finish it, sometimes I don’t, sometimes I skip around and read only what I want. No matter the time I devote to it, I always find something new. David Foster Wallace had a way of doing that with his writing. Whether it’s because his sentences can take pages to reach a period, or his lexicon leaves you reaching for your dictionary every few words, or because the works he wrote were layered and complex, revealing small personal truths over a longer period of processing and digestion, DFW consistently makes people slow down and think. For better or worse, Wallace highlighted the most depraved aspects of humanity and his soul. Oblivion is no exception to this rule.
Unfaithful
I had been feeling very uneasy for the past few weeks. I kept having the feeling that something was just not right in my marriage. My husband, Ross, had seemed distant lately, always busy with things at work or he would start claiming to have plans with friends. But I couldn't just shake off the feeling that he was not being honest with me.
Somer KellyPublished 2 months ago in FamiliesPraying for Miracles and Saying Goodbye
Twelve hours can change everything. On November 12th, 2019, my mom passed away from complications caused by CLL(Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia). After 22 months with CLL, she had one bad day. One bad day, twelve hours in the hospital, and then she left to meet her heavenly Father and see the face of Jesus. Fourteen days later it still seems so hard to believe that everything changed so fast. How did we get from a diagnosis with a chronic condition to saying good-bye?
Dawn BeauchampPublished 2 months ago in FamiliesMy Journey Through the NICU
In the heart of Nairobi City, amidst the whirlwind of life‘s chaos, lives a woman named Caroline (myself). My spirit radiates warmth and resilience, yet beneath my smile, I carry the weight of unspeakable loss. My journey is one of unwavering love and profound heartache, a journey that led me to the doors of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Caroline TamaPublished 2 months ago in FamiliesShadows of Silence
The shifting light talked stories of unspoken fights, and the room was drowned in an evident loneliness. That was the time when dusk would prance into twilight a quarter of an hour before supper, making shadow stripes in the windows.
Moon GhoshPublished 2 months ago in FamiliesDepression during pregnancy and postpartum
There are times in life when we feel sad or depressed without knowing the specific cause. Imagine a pregnant and postpartum woman suffering from a depressive disorder. For women, this is a turbulent period with both physical and psychological changes. Additionally, mental pressure and worries about the baby's future can increase depression.
A Childhood Lost, a Love Denied
My childhood memories are a tapestry woven with loneliness, a stark contrast to the carefree joy most children experience. Simple pleasures like playing in the mud or by the creek resulted in harsh punishments. Toys, meant for exploration and imagination, were kept pristine on display shelves, untouchable.
Rebecca Lynn IveyPublished 2 months ago in FamiliesNotes on my first public appearance.
Photo by Redd F on Unsplash It felt weird to not write anything of consequence last week, after consistently writing for eleven weeks now (this is my twelfth, which feels like a milestone of sorts.) It was nice to just be present, to enjoy the time exploring San Diego with my husband, and to just check out from things for a few days, but it still felt weird, and I felt a little bit guilty. I don’t know where the guilt came from since I don’t technically owe anyone anything, I don’t have an editor or a deadline, and my two-piece a week goal is strictly for myself, but maybe it is because I felt like I was letting myself down a bit or not taking my weekly steps to doing this professionally or reaching my goals. Maybe I just felt like I was letting all of my five paid subscribers down by not providing content that they paid for (even though my five paid subscribers are my mom, my dad, my sister, my aunt and my husband and I think they would all forgive me and still love me even if I never wrote another thing ever again- but seriously, how do I get more paid subscriptions here?!) Maybe I just am taking this journey seriously because I want it so badly, and taking a week off feels like I’m not applying myself. But here I am, and I feel rested, my brain feels fresh, it is the astrological New Year, so onward we go, and it feels like things are about to get much, much easier, even if I don’t quite know how yet.
Morgan LongfordPublished 2 months ago in Families