Top Stories
Stories in Families that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
The Cabin
We drove up the snowy, winding road towards the cosy A-frame cabin. It looked the same as it always did: picturesque, peaceful, pretty.
Lilly CooperPublished about a year ago in FamiliesFarewell, Reggie!
It's the second day now that I'm not myself. How can someone be so sad about passing of a dog that was not even her own? Let me tell you the story of Reggie the guide dog.
Lana V LynxPublished 8 months ago in FamiliesMorning Reflections, in Turmoil
Mornings at our house are quiet. The kids don’t go to school, the adults don’t go to the office, and nobody ever sets an alarm clock. Daybreak is devoid of morning show deejays, clattering bells, and the digital arpeggios of smartphone apps. Gone too are exasperated claims of “I’m coming!” and other muttered grunts issued amid the thumps and bustle of animated bodies getting reacquainted with gravity. No one is tripping over objects they were asked to pick up the previous day, barely maintaining a vertical perspective, as if they are taking out their new legs for a test spin. No one is angrily shouting that we’re out of bagels again, and there is no scramble to claim optimum bathroom time … in fact, any movement at all is purely incidental, because no one is going anywhere.
Andrew R ConnerPublished 8 months ago in Families"Those Who Tell the Stories..."
August 8, 2021: Vocal's Subscribe option went live. When I saw it at 11:29 PM I rushed to the profile of the person I most-wanted to read as-soon-as-possible-every-time!
Judey KalchikPublished 9 months ago in FamiliesAn Ode To My Grandfather
My Grandfather was born on his parents homestead in South Dakota, he died on the same land some 100 years later. In between he lived an entire life on this land. It was a rich life full of family and fun and lots of hard work.
Heather LunsfordPublished 9 months ago in FamiliesReflecting on Love, Life, and Loss
I don’t think I ever fully conceptualised the reality of my grandparents’ mortality until my grandmother died. Her body broke down, leaving her mind intact. I cannot think of a worse fate. Motor Neurone Disease is a vicious, cruel beast that takes and takes and takes. My grandmother went from a vibrant energetic woman who loved drinking champagne and cloudy apple juice and sitting in tide pools to someone who could do little more than grunt. After my cousin died, she couldn’t go on, and I lost her at the end of 2021.
Ash TaylorPublished 10 months ago in FamiliesThey didn't tell me.
Content Warning: Miscarriage The entire experience seems so unnatural. It feels like it should never happen, and yet it happens a lot, with little discussion. I never heard many, or maybe any, conversations about miscarriage. That is until it happened to me. Suddenly it seemed that every woman older than me in my life had at least one miscarriage, some more times than one could even fathom.
Jade HaumannPublished 10 months ago in FamiliesA Playlist For The Imperfect Phoenix
Trigger Warning: The following mentions instances of domestic violence and may not be suitable for all readers. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. (Taken from Still I Rise by Maya Angelou)
- First Place in Little Black Book Challenge
The Delicate Art of Counting to Three
It’s a remarkable balance, keeping oneself together in this brittle thing we call life. Honestly, it’s a miracle I hold myself together at all, but I try my best. It’s just that my best consists of exhausting, tireless repetition, repeated in threes, to simply, hopefully, make life alright.
Jess SambucoPublished 3 years ago in Families Hospice Came Today
My mom dedicated her life to her children. She took care of us. GOOD care of us. All while battling her own demons. She is kind-hearted, loving, and funny. Christmases, Easter, and our birthdays always brought great gifts, above my parent’s means. And today, hospice came for her.
J. Delaney-HowePublished about a year ago in FamiliesHusbandry
Bear with me. What I thought was a chance encounter with a fellow toddler turned out to be more important than I ever thought at the time, and even for the first sixteen-plus years of my life, didn't fully figure out. I'll tell it to you as I remember it now, not as my tiny brain recorded it then.
Meredith HarmonPublished about a year ago in FamiliesMeeting in the Middle
I am embarrassed to say that I am not great at playing with my daughter. From what I hear from other parents, that’s not uncommon, but it’s still frustrating and it gives me a pretty serious case of mom guilt. When she was a baby, it was easy. All had to do was jingle some keys or give the teddy bear a silly voice. Now things are more complicated. Don’t get me wrong, she has plenty of friends in her classes and around the neighborhood. I am happy to send her outside to play with them whenever possible. I wish that was enough, because I am usually too exhausted to play.
Leslie WritesPublished about a year ago in Families