Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
In The First Year After My Brother
Dear Zeke, So it’s been two months and seventeen days since you killed yourself, two months and sixteen days since we found out about it. I’m still pretty mad I think. But overall I’m mostly just numb. Like, I don’t really give a shit anymore; about you, what you did, or about the things in my life in general. I no longer find joy in music or seem to have a passion for writing. And I only just found a book interesting enough to have a real desire to read it. Although one could probably argue that these things were becoming true, if not were already true, long before you killed yourself. Your actions two and a half months ago gave me a reason to respond with when people asked me why I looked sad, lonely, withdrawn or angry. And I don’t know whether to say thank you or fuck you. Thank you for helping me hide my depression, self-harm and poor self-esteem, or fuck you for stealing my thunder. Fuck you for making mom cry and leaving me to hold her together all alone. [Fuck you for making sure no one believes me when I insist that this numbness and anger were present before you killed yourself. That is has always existed in the background of my mind, only coming out to play when my protector is away.]
By Casey SilverRose6 years ago in Families
Blue and happy moments
She was sleeping, she had swept, done the dishes and cleaned the house.He was working late as usual. He walks in kisses her first and says, what's for dinner honey? She serves his plate with a beer on the side. She's still sleepy from waking at 5 am to make him breakfast before he leaves for work. He looks at her and says, did you warm this up? She looks at the food that has been sitting on the stove for hours and realizes she hadn't warmed the food.
By Rhonda Tatefrost6 years ago in Families
Life unexpected
I woke with another slap on my face, it is happening a lot lately and I don’t know what I have done to deserve it. The only I know that it started when my parents past away in a car accident while returning on a business trip my dad have in Europe, we all went because it was summertime I was seven at the time, everything happens so fast it was like someone plan to kill us all, and they succeed because they killed my mom and dad. I would never forget that day and when I know whose behind it I will make sure they suffer and that is a promise.
By Hawa Barrie6 years ago in Families
Forgiveness is Not Weakness
She made every note stand on its own, the eerie airiness of her voice becoming the hallowing of the wind. Her tone then shifted, creating a blithe rendition. The radiating happiness in her words melted the very snow around her. She spoke of the end as if it were salvation, but then fear crept in. You could feel the darkness encroaching upon you, blocking your source of light. The iciness of the loneliness causing your heart to freeze over. And just as the cold numbs your senses, a warm spring breeze envelops you. Love then becoming the only thing you've ever known. As her emotions wavered, so did the world around her. The world she—I created for myself. A world created through the lyrical melodies and patterns, found even in the very soil we walk on. Everything has a voice, whether it’s immaculate or insignificant is dependent on how it's being used. In the past, my voice was but a whisper.
By Shay Hanae6 years ago in Families
Benefits of Kids Participating in Sports from a Young Age
Introduction Growing up, everyone has partaken in some sort of sport at one point in their lives even if they hadn’t continued it for an extended amount of time. During those points, they could recall the sense of blood rushing through their body, the exhilarating sensation that accompanied the sense of satisfaction. Every breath in those moments, being one of relief. There’s positivity there as long as you do so with good company.
By Craig Middleton6 years ago in Families
New Years Day
“It’s another day of pouring another drink and another day of waiting for love.” Zenei murmured, twisting and killing the last cent of his cigarette in the ash tray, over filling with his past drags. The Uncle would always pour his thoughts into the ash tray. Each puff, a piece of wisdom finding peace. Ben Geinon, his delighted nephew would often find himself the victim of Zenei’s company, and although it was overwhelming at times, it soothed the soul.
By Nathan Shane Prior6 years ago in Families
True love
Do you think true love is real? Do you think someone could really stay with someone else forever, through all the bad and scary times? I never thought it could be true until I witnessed it with my own eyes. My grandparents have been married for 50 years. They are the cutest couple you will ever see. Their age doesn’t stop their love. They still take care of each other. They still want to make memories. Recently though we have not been able to go anywhere with them. My grandpa has been in and out of the hospital with pneumonia. That whole time my grandma stood by his side wherever he went and no matter what. As time went on he started to recover after days in the hospital. He finally gets to go home. A few weeks go by and we are starting to plan a small vacation for everyone to go on. My grandmas favorite place, the beach. She was so excited to get out of the house and be with her whole family. A couple years ago my grandma had taken in a stray cat that we had found on the side of the road. He was a very young and sick kitten. Had a bunch of bugs. After we had cleaned him up and gotten rid of his bugs she took him home and called him ki-ki. Like kitty kitty. She felt like she was always alone without a pet. She loved him. But of course, my grandpa was not a fan. Most men never at first. Eventually he came around like everyone else. The kitten didn’t like being indoors so he had to be an outdoor cat mostly. My grandma felt alone yet again. Now she is talking about getting a dog since they are known to get attached to their owners more. Weeks of us all talking and seeing if we should get her one, my uncle finds someone who is giving away chihuahua puppies. Without hesitation, he gets one for her and brings the little puppy home. She loved the little baby and he already loved her. He followed her everywhere. He was one of the tiniest puppies I have ever seen. We are all happy that she is happy again until one night my mom gets a call. You know it’s never good if it is at night. It’s my aunt telling us that my grandma had fallen down her stairs and broke her hip and was unconscious. We found out that her puppy has walked right underneath her and she tripped so she did not step on him. We were all freaking out hoping she was okay. We raced over to the hospital and waited for good news. My grandpa never left her side until he was no longer able to. Hours go by and we finally get the good news. She’s out of surgery. My grandpa rushes to her room and sits right next to her and without hesitation takes her hand and comforts her. Watching them together seeing how much they both cared for each other just hit me so hard. I was in photography class so I thought I could do something sweet with the situation. That’s when I took the first picture of them together. I eventually edited it over the days and it turned out perfect! After she recovered I surprised them both for Mother’s Day with the picture framed of them holding hands. It made her cry which made me cry. I will never forget this picture. It hits me so hard. I hope when I’m married my relationship is just like theirs. They have actually found their own true love, forever.
By Kyree Mueller6 years ago in Families
Time to try new things
Well a few things have happened. I'm not actually sure where to start. I decided after a long debate not to return to my job after my maternity leave came to its end. A number of reasons for this - primarily, the travel time and distance, and how it would affect little Daniel. If I am going to work again, I would like to build a career here, close to home.
By Rhea Bombay6 years ago in Families
In The First Year After My Brother
A Eulogy for a Fallen Marine, Son, and Big Brother. This is probably about the thousandth speech I’ve written out and about the millionth I’ve thought up. Writing has never been strictly hard for me, but in this instance it has been nearly impossible. I have been told to write honorably about Zeke, because he’s my big brother, this is his funeral and that’s what funerals are for; to honor the dead and to give closure to the living. The problem is; I don’t feel like honoring Zeke right now. I’m not in that headspace yet. But as a Wordsmith, I am used to playing the acting role at times, putting myself back into the headspace of a past version of me, projecting myself into a future version of me or even attempting to place myself in the mind of another being entirely. So I will try my best to do the right thing and honor my brother with my words today.
By Casey SilverRose6 years ago in Families
The Maternal Ancestry of Steve Carell
Steve Carell was born August 16, 1962 at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts to Edwin A Carell and Harriet Koch. Steve's father worked as an electrical engineer and his mother worked as a psychiatric nurse. Steve was an avid hockey and lacrosse player while in high school and would even play hockey in college at Denison University. Steve majored in history at Denison but his love of history dates back to his youth when he part of a reenacting group that reenacted the 10th Regiment of Foot, who were a part of the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment of the British Army.
By Bradley Greenland6 years ago in Families
