extended family
All about how to stay connected, strengthen ties and talk politics with your big, happy extended family.
The Gift
The first time Sadie met her Auntie Mae she was 6 years old and painfully shy. Her mother had died tragically in a car accident, leaving her alone in the world. She was placed in foster care while they tried to locate her family, her foster Mom was a kind woman who always looked at Sadie with pity. After a few weeks they found an aunt of her Mothers who did not hesitate to agree to take in Sadie, despite not knowing she existed until then. Her foster mother took extra care in dressing Sadie to meet her family. Her soft, baby-blonde hair was carefully brushed into perfect golden ringlets. The lacy pink ribbons pinned in her hair perfectly matched the frilly pink dress, pink patent shoes and pale pink tights. She looked just like a pretty little doll, with sad eyes.
By Heather Donald5 years ago in Families
Love, loss and learning
The envelope sat untouched on the kitchen table. It had been there for the best part of a week and Alice could not even cast it a sideways glance without filling with fury. How could it be that losing her mum had meant this job passed to her as well?
By Helen Hunter5 years ago in Families
Auntie Cassandra
Sometimes, Andi swore she was actually Cinderella. No handsome prince on the horizon, but still. Her parents were never that stable a match, and dad vanishing when she was ten hadn't been a big shock. Her mother dying from cancer three years later while she was starting high school, was. And living with her paternal grandparents wasn't exactly a bed of roses. They hadn't seen their son since he took off, and somehow they blamed Andi and her mom for that.
By Cindy Darling5 years ago in Families
Apprentice Becomes the Master
a tall man wearing an all-black suit standing over a dead body. The tall man was sobbing about the man who just died. The man was talking to the coroner. “This man is Sir Earl Williams who taught me about the real estate business and he was like a father to me. He also took care of me and my mother.” The coroner extended his hand for payment for the death certificate. Later that evening Edward and Sir Earl Williams' family was sitting in his mansion living room with the lawyer reading out his will. “ This is my last will for the distribution of my wealth at the time of my death. I want 200 million dollars to be given away to my foundation that gives poor and low-income families the tools to improve their way of living. I also want one billion dollars to be given to public schools across the country. Then I want to give my apprentice Edward twenty thousand dollars to take on an apprentice of his own. This should be enough to teach troubled youth the ways of business and to set them on a better path. Then the remaining amount of money shall be put into a trust managed by an advisor I chose in life, and my entire family should earn ten thousand dollars per month plus ten percent of profits at the end of the year. My apprentice also should have black notebooks with each containing letters on the covers. All of you live a life in peace, and remember me as a kind and giving man.” Three days later Edward was in his office looking over architect’s designs for a hotel to be opened on mars. When he looked down with baskets filled with notebooks, he pulled out the case to open the first notebook. Edward began to start reading the note attached to the notebook, then note read. “Three days after the reading of my will there my apprentice shall read the notebook and begin to start to look for an apprentice.” Then he turned to the first page and it started to tell the story of how Edward met his former master. It was a cold winter day in new hope city and I was walking down the street to get into my office. When I was about to enter the office this little boy ran into me with such force I lost my dead wife's left earring. I started to yell at the boy with anger, then as I was doing that he started to cry with a tear rolling down the side of his cheek. That when I knew I was wrong and tried to bring the boy happiness back while doing it brought back the joy that was sucked out of seeing my pregnant wife’s corpse burn at the morgue. Then asked him what his dream job was. “I want to be a real estate developer.” exclaimed the little boy. Then he heard footsteps entering the office; it was his secretary, the little boy’s mother. Ms.Laba, what is your son's name? “His name is Edward and should have been at Mrs. Lisa’s house. Sorry sir for the disturbance and I should take him to be babysat with Mrs.Lisa,” exclaimed Ms.Laba. “No the boy could stay here for he could learn a thing or two about what we do in the office,” exclaimed Sir Earl Williams. “Sir I have just paid Mrs.Lisa and she is still mad at paying the rent late.” “ Do not worry about that, I will reimburse you in your paycheck tomorrow. I want your son to stay with you for the weekend to help him learn the ways of a business for his future is bright. I am also giving you a raise for your years of faithful service.” Little Edward spent many weekends with Sir Edward learning how to run a real estate business, and then one weekend Sir Edward gave the teenaged Edward twenty thousand dollars to fix up an old house that is worth 500,000 if fixed up. That first project you completed successfully made
By Tgames Latimore5 years ago in Families
Black Book
Uncle Tommy was a lifelong pal. We spent many Sunday afternoons on outings to the park to watch the ducks, the people, and to catch up on the week’s events. As well, we would frequent neighbors’ houses, restaurants, go on shopping adventures, see movies, and just hang out until all he had the strength left to do was sit in his easy chair and visit. Maybe play a game of cards with me, talk a little, but mostly listen. Toward the end, he mostly just listened.
By Angie Smith5 years ago in Families
Farewell, Dorothy
Back in college when I was a creative writing student, I took a creative non-fiction workshop. I can’t remember the prompt or the assignment, but wrote one of my favorite pieces in that class. I’ve picked it up a few times over the years to reread and reedit. It’s about saying goodbye to grandmother. It was me saying goodbye twenty years later and when I wrote it I realized I was too young to understand when she passed. I am fortunate to have known her for a short time. And I am fortunate to have the biscuit cutter.
By Nathan J Bonassin5 years ago in Families
Little Black Book
It was a hot summer day in 1985. I had just finished working on a deck for a customer in Akron, Ohio. I could feel my sweat soaking into the cloth seats of my 51’ Ford pick-up. The dirt turned to mud on my skin. And all I could think of was the shower and cold beer I had waiting in my apartment.
By Michael Graham5 years ago in Families
A Day for Dying
“Dad hasn’t phoned since the morning,” Nora says to Freddie. Nora has been worrying about the lack of contact, turning it over in her mind, the entire time that Freddie has been talking about her next exhibition. Half-listening, Nora gathers that the paintings are to depict slaves, and she is thankful that Alistair is not in the room. But then, Freddie knows the rules – she would never discuss a topic like slavery if her father were present. She would have scooped up Jethro and left half an hour ago. Now, Freddie explains that she is applying for a grant to help fund her work.
By Zilla Jones5 years ago in Families
Pearl
The day the little black book came to me wasn’t exceptional, except for the small fact that it changed my entire life. I had just stepped outside into the biting cold, cursing as the condensation from my breath into my mask fogged my glasses. An older woman--a customer leaving the store at the same time I was, tapped gently at my elbow. I turned to look down at her. Between the scarf around her head, her mask, her voluminous shawl, and her shabby winter coat, she was fully swathed in a circus of bright and clashing colors.
By Renee Rigdon5 years ago in Families
Crazy Uncle Jack
"Do you think Jack's coin collection will be worth anything?" My husband, Brandis, asked as he squeezed my hand. "I have no idea. I think they once tried to get him to have his coins evaluated, but that's not why he searched for him. It was never about the money, it was about the quest and about finding hidden treasures for him," I replied, thinking about my Great Uncle and his metal detector and all the adventures we had gone on when I was a child.
By Tonya Little5 years ago in Families
