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.
Dusting off the skates
The frozen pond, my safe place, my place to search my soul, find answers hidden deep within. When I was a child, my dad would wake up at 6:00 am to bring me to the rink to skate. I could still hear his voice, smell the coffee, see his bright eyes smiling at me. He always smiled with his eyes. I felt special, safe, and loved. He would sip his coffee while I warmed up with two of my friends, stretch, do laps until the shriek of the whistle would blow for each of our skating lessons. My skating teacher was a legend, she won a gold medal in the Olympics many years ago. She was tough, she expected us to give 100% to each lesson and push us to the brink.
By Leslie Strom5 years ago in Families
A Full Heart
There’s a saying out there that goes, “Fathers are supposed to raise their sons, but love their daughters,” and it often plays out that way. Fathers are typically more stern with their boys because society teaches us to “raise men” Fathers are often depicted as being more loving and protective of their daughters, or at least that’s how it’s portrayed in movies and television. Parenting is supposed to be at least a two-party endeavor, but that doesn’t always happen. But even out of the darkest situation, the light will always shine through.
By Kawan Glover5 years ago in Families
Just Another Run Away Teen
The fog is so thick that I could not tell what surrounded me. Was I in a forest? A cliff? Would the next step I took plunge me into death? Even as I walk nothing becomes clear. The ground beneath my feet is dry and I can see tiny pebbles that my sneakered feet press into the dirt that makes a small gravely sound.
By Jessica Kohlgraf5 years ago in Families
Judy's Thread
My head leaned against the entrance door to hear the sound of a high-pitched doorbell ring, then I quickly stepped back, anticipatingly waiting patiently for him to greet me with his subtle wit and nutty charm. My eyes danced around the exterior of the home he’d once built on a street named after him surrounded by a development of other homes he’d also built over the years in this Midwestern town. As the door opened, smiling eyes and wrinkles of wisdom greeted me with a waving invitation to come on in.
By Jordyn Moullette5 years ago in Families
Fin it to Win it
James, Nicki, and I had been asking dad all week to get in the water with us, but we quit after he acted like he couldn’t speak English in response. All we’d ever heard him say was “God made the ocean for fish and the beach for people”, but really had no other explanation for what seemed to us like an unreasonable fear of any body of water.
By Tim Holman 5 years ago in Families
One Last Shark Dive
“No way!” Peyton exclaimed as she pushed herself towards the large bin of used books. She had been aimlessly weaving in-between the large folding tables, that were littered with paperback books, for about half an hour. She was in no rush, knowing full well, that her father was probably still asleep back at the hospice center. She began her search, hoping to find some old magazines or a picture book for children, but had stumbled upon a priceless treasure. She had almost given up, but the dull blue-green matte cover with just a small bit of a shark’s tail fin, had caught her eye. She turned back and rushed over to it. Most of the book had been obscured by another larger glossy travel book for the country of England. She pushed the larger book aside and snatched up the smaller book peeking out from behind. Sure enough, the dingy white letters over the worn cover spelled out the title, Shark Reef Adventure. The underwater scene on the cover was something out of the 1950s. It featured a young male wearing a diving mask and swim trunks. His face was turned away, as if he had suddenly noticed the dangerous gray shark behind him. The image was all she needed to send her spiraling back in time, to when she was four years old.
By Patricia Corn5 years ago in Families
