Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Lost and Found
My wife was struggling through labor with my daughter. The doctors told us it's causing too much stress on our little girl who was to be born, and that one of them will not make it. I didn't know what to do or how to stay strong for my wife while she was battling to keep them both alive. I stayed by her side the whole time, it gave her the strength needed. We had a child, Sova.
By Sonny jacobs6 years ago in Families
Crossing Old Sandy
From the time we were old enough to catch crawdads in the nearby creek without getting pinched, my cousins and I were allowed to roam the farmlands nestled between the foothills of the Ozark mountains and the Arkansas River. We’d step out the door of Granny and Pa’s cozy rock-sided house accompanied by an eager pack of farm dogs, work our way through the barn, walk in one door and out the other at each of my aunts’ and uncles’ and great-grandparents homes who all lived “over yonder” or “down yonder” and then set off along the washboard dirt road that my family’s been settled along since the early 1800’s. Up the hill was Granny’s old schoolhouse, still furnished with broken pews and desks, a disheveled time capsule begging our imaginative spirits for dramatic recreations of academic life in the “olden days.”
By April Grist Rhodes6 years ago in Families
Remembrance
I was always trying to get back to her. I dreamed of the ocean again, the cool salt breeze whipping at my face. I stood knee-deep in the ice-cold water as it rushed past me in moderate waves. She stood next to me, her hand in mine. The grip loosened, then dissolved, and I looked next to me and she was gone.
By Cate Falcon6 years ago in Families
For Everything, There is a Time
It was a warm autumn evening, crisp but not cold, dry leaves rustling in the occasional breeze gently filled our ears. In the barn the horses gentle snorts could be heard as they settled into their stalls for the night. As I looked into her deep eyes, the light of the moon softly caressed her silken hair. What wonderful company to have at such a time. We were speaking of things of all seriousness about the meaning of life and the afterlife if one at all.
By Frances De Forrest6 years ago in Families
How to deal with PreTeen & Teen Girls during Online school Thank You Covid19
I wrote this poem on June 9th 1998, when I was just about 14 years old. I have many poems & diary's from past years, some are absolutely awful, other still have the power to make my eyes well up. Perhaps that is because I know in what context they were written in, the people they were written about, & what they actually meant/mean to me.
By Laurie Chambers6 years ago in Families
The Giant Strawberry - Reimagined
Once upon a time, there lived a little girl named Nina. Nina is the only daughter of Elmer and Annie Kantabeee. Nina is a precocious seven-year-old. Her father, Elmer, is a hardworking family man, and oh, how he loves his daughter and his lovely wife, Annie, who has as many freckles on her face as there are stars in the sky. Annie is very protective of little Nina, since Nina is her only child. Nina is a straight A student in Big Sky Middle School.
By Meiko S. Patton6 years ago in Families
SHE WAS A NIGHT OWL
The box she laid in was pretty. She liked pretty things. It came with all the latest features. Silver brushed with light blue finish, light blue velvet interior, in a French Fold design. She was a Francophile, she taught herself French, she loved everything French. She had planned to travel there one day, to Paris. To see the Eiffel Tower, to twirl underneath this wrought-iron lattice was a constant image in her mind. She would buy pain Poilâne in the Latin Quarter on Rue du Cherche-Midi, a bottle of wine at La Cave, cheese at Laurent Dubois, then lay down her blanket on Pont Neuf and spend the day enjoying the splendor of the banks of the Seine.
By Rosemary West 6 years ago in Families
A Tribute for Daddy
The earliest childhood memory I have is of being with my father in the water. He had taken my brother and me swimming just off the rocks not far from where we lived in Pembroke Park. In later years, I brought up this vivid recollection in conversation, and he was visibly stunned.
By The Dani Writer6 years ago in Families
Night Soul
I am only six years old and I do not know where I am. I am small and afraid and I do not like the smell of this pillow or how hard the bed is. I liked the smell of my old pillow and the softness of my other mattress. I do not know the lady or the man who have big, smiley teeth. The lady smells like lavender. I do like that smell because it reminds me of the purple tree flowers that my Nana had in her yard. My mummy used to lift me up and put my face right into the pretty flowers and they smelled delicious. I do not know where my mummy has gone. She told me all the time that I was her sunshine, her only sunshine and that she loved me to the moon and back. She would tell me that she would never give up and she is not far away. I do not know what that means. I know she is not here. The lady and the man say I can call them mummy and daddy, but they are not my mummy and daddy. My mummy has long hair and dark eyes that crinkle when she laughs. My mummy sings songs to me and her favorite one is about me being her sunshine. I do not really know who my daddy is, but I know he is not the man with the grizzly beard and the big voice. I look out the window and it is dark and scary because my teddy bear is not here. He is gone too. Maybe he is with mummy. I hear funny sounds out my window. The new mummy comes in and helps me to lie down on the new pillow. She tucks the soft blanket up under my chin. She smiles with her big teeth and she tells me she will keep me safe. I like the sound of her soft voice. I like that she will keep me safe.
By Joyce Hamelin6 years ago in Families
