extended family

All about how to stay connected, strengthen ties and talk politics with your big, happy extended family.

Dancing In the Dark
I remember well the times we would hide out and listen, my cousin and I, to the screaming girls out in the street. How ridiculous, our 7-year-old minds thought, to be fighting at 2 a.m. after you just had “the greatest time of your lives.”
By Jennifer Fabiano5 years ago in Families
GENEALOGY FOREVER
When you start any new project, there are bound to be terms you just don’t understand or that you use in the wrong context. Words can have a different meaning from one region to another and keeping it all straight can be a challenge. Some words can have many meanings, while other words can be very specific.
By Dandelionclub5 years ago in Families
Slow Learning
I am slowly learning that even if I react, it won’t change anything; it won’t magically change their minds. Sometimes it’s better just to let things be, let people go, don’t fight for closure, don’t ask for explanations, don’t chase answers, and don’t expect people to understand where you’re coming from. I’m slowly learning that life is better lived when you don’t center it on what’s happening around you and center it on what’s happening inside you instead. Work on ourselves and your inner peace.
By Theresa Evans5 years ago in Families
Origin of Antique Chairs
The antique chairs have not always been popular. The lower and middling classes sat on benches and stools throughout the mediaeval era and before. The chair did not become a symbol of high rank or privilege until the Renaissance in Europe, when it became a common piece of furniture for the expanding middle class. With the "luxury" associated with the chair removed, it quickly became popular across Europe, and it quickly became a symbol of the time's trends.
By Kevin Taylor5 years ago in Families
How a Jigsaw Puzzle Saved My Sanity...
Have you heard of the “sandwich generation?” Well, I unexpectedly joined that club a couple of years ago. I have always been a bit of a loner. I’m fifty years old and have never had kids – but I do have two ex husbands, so maybe they count.
By Karena Graca5 years ago in Families
It's My Perfect World
I gasp for air as I walk up to the spot where their house is supposed to be. It’s gone, as if it vanished into thin air. Where would they be if not in their house?
By Lyn McClatchey5 years ago in Families
Goodnight Mr. Peebles
Mr. Peebles was an old man even by the standard of the day, at least he seemed to be to the three O'Mally children who lived in the apartment one flight below him in an old brownstone apartment building in the Bronx. He did not go out often, even in summer and rarely spoke, and never if not spoken to. The greatest notice of his existence happened every night, promptly at nine o'clock when Klezmer music could be heard coming from his apartment. The music would play and the scuffling of Mr. Peebles' shoes against the hardwood floor could be heard. It ended promptly at half-past nine when the apartment would go silent.
By Ray Clark5 years ago in Families
Aunt Ola’s Cookies
A faint light filtered through the slats of the attic window, and dust motes floated lazily in the air. Raindrops tapped on the roof in a quick staccato, and rivulets of water rushed through the gutters down the sides of the house. A young girl sat on the dusty floor sorting through old records and long forgotten toys. She would rather have been playing at her best friend Janene’s house, but Janene had come down with a cold, so she was stuck helping her mother clean up the attic on this rainy Saturday afternoon.
By Lacy Hall5 years ago in Families
A Tribute to My Niece
She is my niece and my godchild. She is my sister and brother-in-law’s daughter and a big sister to my nephew. She is Alyssa, and she holds a special place in my heart.
By Julie Buchy5 years ago in Families
Scrapbooking
When the pandemic hit in 2020 all I could think was "what are we going to do with all this time"? Well, since we weren't really allowed to leave our houses for the first few months other than to shop or do bonzai runs to get essentials...like foraging for toilet paper, my bestie and I decided that it was finally time to start our scrapbook! It took us a couple months to get started but once we did oh boy, we went crazy with it! We started out picking the perfect album the title reads: LIFE...life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. We found that to be a perfect fit to our amazing 15 year journey thus far together.
By C. M. Sears5 years ago in Families
My Passion is Puppetry
It has taken me sixty years to find my passion, not because I had to work hard to discover it, but because it has always been there. I always thought everyone could do what I do. As a result I really never appreciated what I was capable of. I just thought everyone could write and create the same way I could.
By S. L. Kirby5 years ago in Families
I Became A Millioniar
Hi everyone, my name is Maria. A few years ago my dad had a heart attack at work and passed away. His sudden death changed our lives forever.
By Afzal H5 years ago in Families