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.
12 Minutes
The parks of my childhood are gone. Most of the people that I grew up with are also gone. Houses that I used to run around in belonging to deceased family members are no longer, and even though I often dream of those houses, nothing will ever bring them back. Out of all of these losses that every adult must conquer, I think the loss of my childhood dog was the second most painful event to ever ensue. The death of my grandmother comes in first place on the adult misery totem poll. See, when you grow up an only child, your pet becomes your sibling and best friend, and when they disappear, a void fills up your once energetic house. I often dream of him, my dog, and in those fantasies we’re often walking around the neighborhood. To commemorate his memory, I often walk our once usual route, pretending that he’s with me, and I think he is.
Middle. Eldest. Only.
Middle. Eldest. Only. Written by Kayla Weinkauf I felt her pain before I heard it. Despairing dry heaves flew across the phone and hung heavy on my shoulders. They suffocated me like a dense fog on a bitter morning.
Kay WeinkaufPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesA Book of Double Lives
Mike tries to ignore the yellow police tape around his mother’s living room as he searches her house for a coffin trinket the night before her funeral. The cops don’t seem too concerned about a retiree killed during a break-in.
Maria SitzmannPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesThe List
It’s strange to think that someone’s whole life can fit in a few medium sized Home Depot boxes. Especially when that person is my wife. She cannot be categorised or defined. She cannot be described. Yet all of her now sits before me, neatly packed away.
Damian MaddenPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesEileen Forshaws Last Will and Testament.
Still reeling from the death of her mum, Sarah sat on her rather old and lumpy bed to start wading through her dead mother's paperwork,
LA SimpsonPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesArmed Golf
I have often thought while playing a round of golf about all the horror and hell that has been plotted, dealt, and then easily forgotten on the course. Rank businessmen and corrupt politicians carving up parts of the world, dealing in oil and rare minerals, then slicing one more drive and another fat chunker-- all the while bombs being dropped on some country most of us couldn’t identify if we were air dropped there ourselves. Presidents authorizing air raids and then atrociously ripping drives down into some swath of trees. This game has truly been the thoroughfare of blood and war. For me, it was just a nice way to compete with my older brother.
Tim McDonoughPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesA Birds Eye
It's a cloudy day with a light breeze in the middle of April, Chicago streets unusually quiet. A young couple sit on a park bench having an argument trying not to raise their voices, two old women pass by them looking the opposite direction as not to be seen smirking. Dog's hurry their owners along on walks around the park, resisting their owners pull. Litter can be seen swirling in the wind, while seagulls try to differentiate what might be food. The pigeons wait on the lamp posts, docks and nearby boat rails. They've become accustom to this spot, waiting for the small, short old women in the over-sized coat. Routinely at the end of every day, they would receive their daily portion of crumbs and company from a trusted and humble soul. She moved slowly and spoke soft; sometimes she could be heard humming along with their soft purr like Coo's.
The Key
Life has a way of throwing many curve balls. No one knows this better than I. Fifteen years ago, both my parents' life was swiftly and tragically snuffed out, leaving me the “text book” orphan at the tender age of three. I don’t remember much of them...only faint echoes of my mother's contagious laughter and my father’s hypnotic singing voice that would lull me to sleep. Mom was in the final stages of expecting the little brother I never knew. While in their haste to hurry to the hospital to deliver him, their truck was hit by a drunk driver, killing all involved. People all over town said this was the day that turned my beautiful Nan’s hair completely white from the excruciating shock and sadness she had endured that day. She said she kept it that way as a morose reminder of how frail and precious life always was. I was lucky to be left to the mercy of my beautiful Nan and her free spirit kid brother, Uncle Moe. If it truly wasn’t for these two, I surely would have had a cursed life. Uncle Moe was near my father’s age when he was forced to taking on the role of “Dad” to me, and was around for most of the important life stages - like teaching me to ride a bike (much to my Nan’s chagrin) and how to climb the old oak tree like a chimp in order to reach our ponds swing rope where I ultimately learned to master the biggest splash that could be heard from miles away. That's where my bravery ended, and stagnated once I set foot off our property line. As I got older, he started taking off on occasion to travel and dirt dig, not surprising...as it was always in our blood line. My family’s ancestry was filled with all sorts of professions involving numerous great adventures... archaeologists(like Uncle Moe), engineers, and many high-ranking brave military career members. Nonetheless, I was destined and most reluctant to follow in their foot steps.
Jennifer BowersPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesA Dent in Time
Ray lay sprawled across her bed staring at the wall. The same small dent that had bothered her for years caught her eye. She stared at it mindlessly not truly observing, lost in her own head. Her thoughts travelled far beyond the tiny blemish on the wall. They moved over the past several years. Memories – good, bad, ugly – all flashing below as she glided over them. Even as a bystander from above, she could see no explainable reason for the way her life went.
Hillary TuttonPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesThe Settlement
It wasn’t as though I didn’t need the money. I had university debts and a house loan to pay off, and 55k a year could only stretch so far. But it was hard to look at the cheque with anything other than disdain when it had come as a result of my mother’s death. I believe the term they used was a wrongful death settlement. To me, it was a get out of jail free card.
Amy TredgettPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesA Angel's Grief
I woke up in a sweat, bruised and battered from the inside out. Only to awaken into my real-life nightmare. Another creditor, asking for five thousand dollars. Money was the last of my worries. A picture on the nightstand tore my heart ablaze. I touched the side where the man in the photograph used to sleep, snoring soundly.
Honey Rachelle GrahamPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesA Little Black Book
There was so much stuff to go through. Kate had wanted to start sorting things while her father was sick, but there was simply not enough time for that. Now that the funeral was over, all she felt was emptiness. Looking around the house, she felt completely overwhelmed. Where should she start?
Kathleen JonesPublished 3 years ago in Families