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.
The Ark
The rental car has that faux-new car smell and for a moment Ellen’s mind wanders as she thinks about how much she wished she had a new car. When was the last time she had had a new car? Had she ever? James is outside pumping gas. They are at the last gas station north of the Iowa border in Owatonna, Minnesota heading south.
By Anne Garrett5 years ago in Families
Not meant for that
He had heard it said that ships are safe in the harbor, but ships were not built for that. These words both encouraged and frightened him. Tom had long known he was built for greater things, but fear and an innate sense of responsibility kept him anchored at shore.
By Dorothy Prophet5 years ago in Families
Made of Steel, Crashproof, Fireproof, and Pretty Much Bulletproof
My father was by all accounts, made of steel. Crashproof, fireproof, pretty much bullet proof. Larger than life. Magic. Anyone who really knew him, knows he was also a big softy with a huge heart full of love for everyone, and that "I love you, you asshole" was a term of much endearment coming from him. He put a smile on every face he saw. If he wanted you to laugh, then dangit you were going to laugh, there was no way around it. There was nobody that didn't like him, at least nobody that I ever knew.
By Cassey Aguiar5 years ago in Families
Forever Free
This is really happening. Standing at the waters edge, the wind drying my tears as each silently fell. I still don’t want to accept it. I was there. Holding you in my arms. I still remember the soft caress of your final breath as it stole across my cheek. I still hear the silence of the monitors as your heart beat its last beat. And the absolute empty stillness of the room after your soul left this world and crossed over into the next. I was there dammit. But I still don’t want to believe it.
By Sarah Elizabeth 5 years ago in Families
Worship
“Mama, my shoes is killing me,” Marcus moaned. His big toe, protected only by a threadbare sock, rubbed viciously against an exposed seam at the tip of his shoe, and there was a pinching sensation at his instep. His mother, a large and stoic woman, did not stop. She didn’t even slow down. Having already raised three boys and one girl, she had little patience for complaints.
By Mack Devlin5 years ago in Families
Goodbye
3:30pm: I'm sitting in my chair reading a book when my son comes in to sit with me. Sitting on the bed he asks what I'm doing I tell him I'm reading a book. We laughed together. We sit and chat for several moments. He's laughing and smiling, something I don't see him do very often. He stands up and comes to me and tells me how much he loves me and then I'm and that I'm a great mom. I laugh and say where did that come from. I love hearing it but it's not something that your 49-year-old child often come to you and says. He laughs and says he's just in a really great mood today. He hugs me and gives me a kiss. The goes outside where he has been tinkering with his Jeep.
By Carol Faith5 years ago in Families
When Grief Interrupts Your Perfectly Planned Life
Patrick has been gone for 1,581 days. I’ve only seen him in videos and pictures. Some days it seems like just yesterday, and on others, it feels like an eternity. Over the years, I have shared the ups and downs of my journey.
By Danell Boyles TeNyenhuis Black5 years ago in Families
Welcome Aboard
The first thing I smelled was the salt coming off the ocean. It surrounded me, permeating everything. It smelled... CLEAN, almost like laundry that had just come off the line, dried outside in the open air. I could smell the moisture in the air, but I couldn’t feel any dampness or humidity. The aroma was fresh and green, like an expensive organic room spray, but better.
By Tiffiany Collier5 years ago in Families
Anamchara
Katelyn was blessed with a mane of flaming red hair which was also a bit of a curse for it aptly warned suitable suitors of her fiery temper. “That temper of yours may cost you your soulmate,” warned Seamus more than once. The prescience of his statement can be debated, but for Katelyn it seems too true. Katelyn Doneghan, a sturdy woman, was born of hardy Irish stock. Her father, Seamus raised her to know the ways of the world, its harshness, its cruelty; but he also instilled in her an understanding that love abounds in all creatures great and small.
By David Zinke aka ZINK5 years ago in Families
Liam's Sweater
Liam’s Sweater “Never marry a sailor,” her mother warned. “They are always leaving.” But love does not ask your trade. At first, when Rachael met Liam, she resisted the blue +cap. But when dimples appeared on either side of his smile like attractive bookends, her mother’s advice was jetsam, discarded and thrown overboard.
By Ramona Scarborough5 years ago in Families
