humanity
Humanity begins at home.
THE MIDNIGHT RIDE
THE MIDNIGHT RIDE Elijah smiled and watched his family sleeping in the flickering dim light of the candle on the table. Deep in thought, he wondered, was the box the answer to his family’s dreams and his dad’s prayers? A still small voice broke the silence to ask, “Elijah, why are you awake?” Elizabeth said, walking closer to him. Placing her hand on his shoulder, he kissed it and asked her to sit with him.
By Dollie E Abernathy-Mason6 years ago in Families
A Grand Man
This particular Sunday morning I decided to take one last walk around the lake before my father would be free of his earthly body. It's best to come out around 5am to lessen the chance you'll see another live creature. It's not so bad running into a squirrel or two I suppose. Or to have an ever skittish coyote meet your gaze and make a quick decision to freeze then dart back to the bushes with purpose. I always feel guilt for disturbing them. It's their lake. The serenity of this massive body of water is always being confronted by the urban environment. The heavy gaze of downtowns massive buildings, the angst of the commuter, and the dirty and dense smog coming down wind from the other decaying city on this massive water mass that goes on and on. On that morning the clouds hung low, dull, and grey. Some would say oppressive but I would say comforting. A means to spend the day in bed but remain outside. As I sought comfort outdoors I knew today I had to leave my peace on this lake shore and go confront a singular and sharp pain. On this quiet day I knew I had to go to my fathers apartment for the last time. Two years ago he was given a finite amount of days to finish his journey on earth. Fast forward to two weeks ago he had three to four months. And every day the hospice nurse shortened that time dramatically. Your father has a month. Your father has a few weeks. A few days. Any day. Any hour. Any minute.
By Jay Williams6 years ago in Families
Spirit Knows
Sometimes, Spirit moves us in ways that seem so insignificant but can be quite meaningful to others. The day dawned a good day for a softball game. Sunshine and clear skies invited the players, including my granddaughters, to their game. My son was the team coach so I had double interest in attending these games. My son played in the Little League as a child. He developed a love for ballgames. He had determined that when his twin daughters were old enough, he made certain they could play softball if they wanted.
By Toni Compton6 years ago in Families
Oblique Obituary
He always insisted his last name should be Phillips Coombes-Randall. His rum, rollie and dope habits hadn't been kind to his mental state, overall demeanour or physical appearance. He was a wreck. Round shouldered and dour, grumpy and sour, that was our Warren. The uncontrollable, tangled grey tonsure framed a permanent scowl under eyebrows set in a perpetual, baleful frown.
By Pat Miller6 years ago in Families
Letting Go
“What do you mean you found twenty THOUSAND dollars?” I pulled the phone sharply away from my ear as Iris shrieked. “You know how I like to plant my tomatoes deep so they can establish a strong root system? Well, I was digging, and I was down about a foot and a half when I found this box.” I stared down at the muddy box in my lap, the rusty lid flipped back with the sun shining on the bills like a holy spotlight.
By Mary Mesenburg6 years ago in Families
The lion, the fish and the Sagittarius.
I feel it’s bold of me to put a lot of my faith into the universe for somone who hasn’t had it very easy. I figure, bad can’t happen all the time right? Their is a yin to that yang somewhere.. and I know one day itl find me.
By Tonietta graves 6 years ago in Families
Dear Fathers. Top Story - February 2021.
Dear fathers in your many forms, I am blessed to have one of you close, adopt others, marvel and smile at many, desire to see freedom and justice for others. I learn from you, the depths of your roots and the worlds in your eyes. I’ve grown up amidst tangible yous and messages about you, depictions that usually seemed to miss the mark--overlooked huge parts of your heart. As a kid I often felt pained, sad watching movies with black men, like my dad or about black stories because they seemed incessantly heavy. I was confused, because my black family and community had their strife, but there was so much fun and vibrant life.
By Carly F. J.6 years ago in Families
Maybe Next Year
I grew up in a loving home with my mother, father, and three siblings. My widowed grandmother came to live with us shortly after my twin brother, David, and I were born. Oh yeah, we are sixteen years younger than my sister, Mickie, and fourteen years younger than my brother, Michael. It happens. 😉
By Christine Smith6 years ago in Families
Book
It was another hot and humid winter day in Los Angeles, My mother and I had resorted to buying storage units at auction in hopes of possibly pocketing a profit with the units unknown contents. This last storage unit we purchased was a hail mary, it needed to have at least twelve hundred dollars inside it to cover the rest of our rent and outstanding bills. After haggling with the auctioneer and other people we ended up purchasing the unit for two-hundred dollars more than we wanted but again we needed to make a profit and as soon as possible. The moment we purchased it, I stepped inside the compartment scanning its contents quickly as we still had to pay auctioneer at his office. As I scanned, I noticed a large amount of what seemed like office equipment, filing cabinets and what seemed like an American flag on a stand tucked away in a corner. In a sarcastic tone I proclaimed “what a great deal this was” and “to go get the paperwork to get this done as soon as possible.” As I followed the owner and my mother toward the exit, I noticed this old workbench with two cardboard boxes atop it as I passed it I saw what was an old black book about twice the size of todays smart phones. With out any real reason too other than that I like books to draw inside. I picked it up without looking at it as I thumbed the pages and felt the leather strap that bound it and put it in my back pocket on the way out.
By Wes Cunningham6 years ago in Families
