Memoir

Health Sabbatical (Hiatus)
I did not want my bad health to define me . There is a saying, “ Your health is your wealth.” I was never absent at work unless my body completely breakdown. I was not absent until something terrible happen to my body in 1999, right before spring.
By Mariann Carroll2 years ago in Chapters
Echoes of Resilience: Embracing the Journey of Dreams
In the heart of my journey, amidst the swirling currents of academic challenges and dreams that seemed just beyond my reach, I found a profound love for the path I had chosen. It was a journey that unfolded with countless lessons, unexpected twists, and moments of deep introspection. The winds of uncertainty buffeted against me, but I embraced them with an unyielding spirit, discovering that the pursuit itself was the treasure I sought.
By Uswa Naaz2 years ago in Chapters
A room with no view
I have been in this room with no views for four years now. But the view from my ability to see the Lord and his name is Jesus. We first met when I was struggling with my anxiety and depression, which I pursued in trying the drugs that I remember the teenagers of my time used. Trips, and cocaine. Only I was to encounter an experience like no other.
By Dawn Earnshaw2 years ago in Chapters
Driven
So, I didn’t think I would write anything for this challenge, because the premise feels weird to me. When is the middle of my life. Has it passed? I hope it’s in the future. But here is an anecdote from a comment I left on Leslie Writes’s story, "Who Taught You How to Drive?”, about how I learned to drive.
By Atomic Historian2 years ago in Chapters
The Burden of Love
7:00 a.m. I rose drearily from the loveseat parked in front of our heavy beige drapes that still hung with hooks-which no one from my generation likely knew how to use because curtains should just slide onto rods. I stretched my arms upward both grateful to have a job to rush to and lamenting the fact that I’m made to work from such a state of exhaustion. Granny is still asleep so I rouse her with a gentle shake. She’s neatly nestled under my favorite pink fleece blanket, the one that traveled with me from Brooklyn to Vassar then back to Brooklyn, and then from Brooklyn to Boston College Law School and back again. The gray paisley print bandana that she ties over her hair and knots on her forehead, is slightly raised like a crown and half on her head, halfway resting on her pillow. She wants me to leave her alone but she knows the routine-wake up, morning bird bath, change her diaper, fresh clothing, breakfast, and medication before I leave for work.
By Lori B.2 years ago in Chapters
Night of the Langum
Night of the Langum I sat in my bed, staring at the TV with my hand clamped over my mouth. My God, I thought. He dies. The kid dies. I reached for the emergency vomit bowl we keep on my nightstand for the kids and held it in front of me. It had been about thirty years since I’d last watched Radio Flyer, the early nineties movie my brothers and sister and I had based our childhood on. It’s a story about two young brothers who create a sort of fantasy world as a way to escape the cruel abuse of their stepfather. I think I was in fourth grade when we watched it, which would mean my sister was in second. We watched it a lot, my brothers and sister and I. Mom gets borderline hysterical if we mention this to her now. She says she’s not sure what she was thinking, letting us watch that show.
By CJ 2 years ago in Chapters
SingleMomChronicles
I am now going into the later part of my twenties. I have a little girl that I have been raising alone. Her father blamed me for the dissolution of our relationship. It had nothing to do with his excessive drinking. It had nothing to do with his infidelity. It had nothing to do with him staying out all night or sometimes being gone for days at a time. I was supposed to just stick it out and let him get it all out of his system and wait for him to be ready to settle down. I'm sure he would've settled down eventually, right? Seriously, what in the world? Who the heck is doing that?
By Latoya Giles 2 years ago in Chapters
Purgatory vol 3
Once again, it's time for me to expose my wounds to the world. A necessity driven not so much by hunger, but by an internal command, a call to benefit those who might stumble upon this place by chance or have been my readers throughout these last three years of Journey. Yes, almost precisely three years have passed since that day when I began to remember who I am, and that there's a man in my life with whom I almost, nearly, intertwined three decades ago. And now it has become apparent that everything he spoke of back then has turned into truth today (well, not everything, some parts are still unfolding).
By Elle Vihman2 years ago in Chapters
Purgatory vol 4
Purification Fire, Volume 4 Once again, the purification fire. At least it seems that another dip in the trampoline's lower position has arrived. Perhaps I'm inching slightly upwards this time, as I can analyze my situation a bit.
By Elle Vihman2 years ago in Chapters
"Fly Gently, My Golden Dragon, My Beloved Soul!"
"Softly whispers my Golden Dragon, a legend woven in time's embrace, Its wings unfurl, a tale of old, a mythic dance in twilight's grace. Majestic creature, scales agleam, a guardian of secrets untold, Eyes that hold the wisdom of stars, a bond of tales from days of old. Oh, hear its voice, a gentle breeze, carrying echoes of ages past, Through whispers of forgotten lands, where fantasy and reality contrast. In realms where heroes rise and fall, and destinies are written in the sky, The Golden Dragon soars aloft, its presence an enchanting lullaby. With every beat of its mighty heart, the world's magic comes alive, A symphony of hopes and dreams, through which our spirits strive. "Fly softly my Golden Dragon," the wind carries this sacred call, A call to adventure, to believe, as twilight's curtain starts to fall. So heed the tale, dear kindred souls, let your imagination take flight, For within the heart of fantasy, lies a realm of endless light." ~Poetic AI
By Elle Vihman2 years ago in Chapters
Wholeness, Love, and Inner Fulfillment
"In a world filled with complexities and constant pursuits, it's in embracing our own wholeness that we find true solace. Love, that divine force that transcends boundaries, threads through our lives, binding us to each other and the universe. And within this beautiful tapestry of existence, the journey to inner fulfillment awaits, a journey of self-discovery and profound connection. Let us explore the realms of wholeness, love, and inner fulfillment—wherein lies the essence of a life lived with purpose and grace" . ~AI
By Elle Vihman2 years ago in Chapters
The scream of the soul
It seems that the time has come to reveal my own journey. A journey I've been on for a little over three years now. My Twin Flame Journey. A journey towards Self, a journey to understanding one's own Being and diving into the depths of the soul mission. A journey into remembering and practicing Unconditional Love. A journey that, in short, has been like a journey through Hell, fighting my way out with gritted teeth. The only support being the absurd understanding that this is a journey of healing. And so, three times in a row.
By Elle Vihman2 years ago in Chapters