Family
Did I Really Make it Worse?. Runner-Up in I Made It Worse Challenge.
July 15 (six weeks before the wedding) Today is my big sister’s birthday and I have a great present for her. She is going to be an aunt! Only my fiancé Eric knows, and we are going to break the news at the family dinner my parents are throwing for Emily. That is, I am going to break the news. Eric was not thrilled about the idea because he thinks the party should be about my sis, not our news.
By Lana V Lynx5 months ago in Confessions
People Don't Want to Be Fixed. Honorable Mention in I Made It Worse Challenge.
It began with my birth. That's how we met, after all. And I suppose things were fine up until the divorce. Or maybe even after. Maybe things were fine until the affair. And actually maybe things were fine then, too, all the way up until the death. Not of you or I, but of your second husband. That's when the slow breakdown---the avalanche of us---began.
By Raine Neal5 months ago in Confessions
The Sign I Ignored
“I never imagined I'd be here. For most of my life, I believed I was an atheist. But things have changed. Now, Grandpa, I ask for your help. I know you can hear me and that you always looked after us—your grandchildren—in life and now from heaven, just as you took care of Mom and Auntie. It's strange to consider myself an atheist and yet, deep down, still believe there is heaven. Still, I'm sure you are there. And here I am, again in a church, which I started to visit a lot in the past few months.”
By Anna Mykhalchenko5 months ago in Confessions
The Sign I Ignored
“I never imagined I'd be here. For most of my life, I believed I was an atheist. But things have changed. Now, Grandpa, I ask for your help. I know you can hear me and that you always looked after us—your grandchildren—in life and now from heaven, just as you took care of Mom and Auntie. It's strange to consider myself an atheist and yet, deep down, still believe there is heaven. Still, I'm sure you are there. And here I am, again in a church, which I started to visit a lot in the past few months.”
By Anna Mykhalchenko5 months ago in Confessions
DARLEEN'S PHONE. Runner-Up in I Made It Worse Challenge.
The music was still playing inside, though it no longer sounded like a wedding. Voices drifted out into the garden in brief bursts: someone shouting a name, a glass breaking, waiters trying uselessly to calm people who no longer wanted to be calmed.
By Isidora Luna5 months ago in Confessions
Public Speaking Made Simple
Turn Fear into Confidence Step by Step Public speaking is often seen as one of the most intimidating skills to master. For many, the thought of standing in front of an audience—whether it’s five people or five hundred—triggers anxiety, self-doubt, and even fear. But here’s the truth: public speaking doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. With the right approach, anyone can learn to speak confidently and effectively.
By Aiman Shahid5 months ago in Confessions
I Chose the Wrong Child
There are things you carry in silence. Things you would never say out loud at a dinner table, whisper to a friend, or even admit to yourself in the dark. This is one of them. I chose the wrong child. Not in the way you might think. I didn't abandon anyone. I didn't show up less. I cooked the same meals, attended the same recitals, said "I love you" the same number of times every night before bed. From the outside, I was the picture of a fair, devoted, present mother. From the inside, I was drowning in a secret so heavy it bent my spine. I connected more deeply with one of my children than the other. And for years, I convinced myself that made me a monster. The Child You Bond With Instantly When my first daughter, Nora, was born, something clicked into place inside me. She was easy to read, easy to soothe, easy to love. She laughed at my jokes when she was three years old. She reached for my hand first. She looked at me like I was the whole world, and I felt that look all the way down to my bones. Then came my son, Daniel. Daniel came into the world loud and restless and completely his own. He didn't need me the way Nora did. He pushed back before he could even form full sentences. He challenged every rule, rejected every hug at the wrong moment, and stared at me sometimes with this look I couldn't decipher — a look that felt like a wall. I loved him. I want to make that absolutely clear. I loved him with everything I had. But loving someone and feeling connected to them are two completely different things. And nobody had ever told me that. Nobody warned me that you could love your child with your whole heart and still feel like a stranger to them.
By Shoaib Afridi5 months ago in Confessions
The Phantom Who Listened Beyond Language
Before I start writing, I always open YouTube and search for a song or a soundtrack to listen to. Today, I found a song I used to hear during my childhood. Back then, as a Moroccan child, I did not understand the lyrics at all - I was only fascinated by the feeling of the song itself. It felt as if the child within me chose what to listen to instinctively.
By LUCCIAN LAYTH5 months ago in Confessions
