Family
My First Experience with Birth Trauma
My first experience with birth trauma ---- In that in between grey of early morning, I finished up packing and eagerly left with my fiance' of the time. His father drove us to the hospital. I was going to meet my baby girl that day. My sweet baby girl. Everything I had endured with my "fiance" would be worth it as soon as I met my baby girl, right?
By Jenna Rae Mueller 4 years ago in Confessions
Johnny Carson's Monologue
My mom passed away from cancer in 2013. I think of her everyday. Memories come unbidden, often bittersweet. The bad ones not associated with the cancer involve me being a callous, angst-ridden teenager, causing the poor, dear woman so much anxiety; but even those aren't bad, because when I look back, I can see how genuinely she loved me. She put up with me. She tried to get through to me. She never gave up on me.
By C. Rommial Butler4 years ago in Confessions
Drunk Housewife Stereotype
I remember the days when I lived with an American host family and saw my host mum slowly falling deeper and deeper into depression and alcoholism. I remember feeling bad for her but also kind of judging her. She was successful, wealthy, and had a beautiful home in the capital city of the United States of America. I kept on asking myself... When did she get so pathetic? Funny, I felt like I was better.
By Martyna Dearing4 years ago in Confessions
Psst, You, Yes, You
My mother had a lot of quirks, but she was also an unlikely repository of excellent advice served up as snappy bits of home-spun wisdom. One of her best tidbits was if something feels off, it’s because it’s off. That was her way of saying that when the voices in your head start talking, you better start listening.
By Misty Rae4 years ago in Confessions
The Ignominious Jell-O Debacle
To a grandchild, a grandparent is an incredible and wonderful being. It is as if everything their grandparent touches is magic. Their recipes are secret and special. Part of the magic is that you do not know the ingredients used in them, as my brother and I have recently discovered.
By E.L. Martin4 years ago in Confessions
What Happens When We Felt Unloved as Children
Some of us were born into the perfect families, with a mother and father who smiled adoringly at one another over the perfectly square breakfast. They engaged with one another and you could feel the love in the room. When the children spoke up they were given eye contact and their full attention; their heads bobbed up and down with every new inflection in their child’s words.
By Melissa Steussy4 years ago in Confessions
Letting Go of Perfect
Every day I find myself looking around at my house, my reflection, my LIFE, and mentally making to-do lists of all the things I “need” to take care of. There are piles of precariously leaning games, 647,982 pieces of precious art (aka scribbles that my kids didn’t want to throw away so they “gift” it to me), junk drawers overflowing with...well, junk, the couch cover (that hides our hideous but comfortable hand-me-down couch from the 90’s) that is never tucked in right, my kids’ closet that’s riddled with clothes that don’t fit, the laundry that is somehow either all dirty or all clean and waiting to be put away, there are random hair clips and “special” rocks all over the counter. The list goes on, and believe me, it does, because I am the one who makes the lists. They never end. I find myself careening between horror at what a clean-freak stranger would think if they walked in right now, and pretending that everything will be fine if I can just get to the weekend when I will certainly have time to whip everything into immaculate, Martha Stewart-worthy shape. But the reality is, I never have time to check off all the to-dos and must-take-care-ofs. I often wonder what life would feel like if I could suddenly become a hardcore minimalist (and drag my family with me, kicking and screaming). Then I remember that that too would take time; I would have to either go through all the shit laying around, or I would have to light it on fire and walk away like an action-movie badass. I think that HOAs frown on that sort of thing, though.
By Krystl Densmore4 years ago in Confessions
A letter for Dad
So here we are. You had a funny way of showing it, but this is what you would’ve wanted. I can’t help but feel like you knew. Your last bit of sanity was left for me. Your pessimistic attitude and apathetic, nonchalant actions were screaming louder than any words.
By Rambler's Society4 years ago in Confessions
Our Furbabies Are Our Biggest Supporters
Who needs medicine when there are cats? I have to say that my life is significantly better with cats in our lives. Our 2 cats names Marco and Marcia arrived in our lives more than 8 years ago. They are the best of friends and Marco, the big orange cat, loves to dress up for holiday occasions-- Halloween is no exception. I lucked out and found the very last 2 pet costumes at my local dollar store. In general, Marcia, the tortoiseshell cat, is more shy and more curious as to why I even bother to put on a costume for her as she knows nothing about this crazy holiday season.
By C C Farley4 years ago in Confessions
