grandparents
Becoming a grandparent makes getting older something to look forward to - all the fun of parenting, without the hassle.
Gasping for air
I watch as my grandfather adjusts his massive frame in the green armchair and realize I’m all alone with him in the dark front room of their Appalachian home. We’d driven twelve hours in our maroon Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser to see them, my mother’s travel games keeping us three kids somewhat occupied along with the rotation of who got to sit in the rear jump seat that faced backwards. In later years, we’d take I-64 through West Virginia, but on this trip, we traveled across our home state of Virginia on I-81 to the mountains of Kentucky. Our first stop was the Tastee-Freeze outside of Emporia for an ice cream.
By F Cade Swanson4 years ago in Families
Home Right Down The Road
Everybody usually finds going to the lake to be peaceful. Being around the water, spending time in the sunshine, a day at the lake always makes a person feel better. Going out to my family's cabin has always been one of my uttermost favourite things. One of the very first memories that I have is sitting on the floor of the cabin before it was renovated. I couldn't have been more than three or four at the time. It was my grandparent's original house that they then renovated into a cabin. It isn't winterized out there, but it sure feels like home during the summertime. That place is a beautiful healing environment. During hard periods of my life, I tended to retreat out there as it is just a few minutes away from the city that I grew up in. As soon as I learned how to drive, I tried to spend as much time as I could out there, even if not everyone in my life had felt the same way about my family's weathered cabin, I always felt at home there.
By Chloe Rose Violet 🌹4 years ago in Families
George and Martha
George and Martha Wentworth were a hard-working dedicated couple who made a living working very respectable jobs. George sold business insurance while Martha supervised her local code enforcement office. Due to their particular fields, they were always wary of people trying to take advantage of the system.
By Kerry Williams4 years ago in Families
Help Elders Manage Stress During these Difficult Times
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted most people’s lives in the first half of 2020. People have been isolated, and access to physical and mental healthcare has been restricted. This may be important to prevent virus propagation, but the damaging physical, psychological, and social impacts are obvious.
By Martha Tim4 years ago in Families
Raggedy Joe & His Strawberry Bride
Auburn silk swayed back and forth as she walked the streets of a little town in southern New York State, the mid 1970s never shined so bright like they did when she was out. With sun-kissed skin, she looked like a honey comb, gentle and sweet. Her attitude was opposite of her outside composition. She was a thorn, with a sharp tongue. An earthly siren wandering graciously amongst humans. Karen Lee, with her petite frame and bell bottoms. You could pick her out of a crowd in a heartbeat. She was making her way to meet with her sister, Johanna, at a local bar. Every now in then the sisters indulged in some drinks, pool, and embracing the gaze of men. It was about the only fun you could find in what felt like a ghost town many people could never get out of.
By Kozmic Kid4 years ago in Families
Meet Me At The Crossroads
“I’m going to tell her anyway.” “I don’t see the point, she’s not going to know what you’re saying.” “That’s what y’all think. Y’all treat her like...like…” I let out a huge grunt of frustration because there’s so many different directions I could go on how they treat Grandma, but I know my concerns fall on deaf ears. Literally. My paternal grandmother’s side of the family has a hearing loss problem as they age and as a result there are many medical problems, including Alzheimer's. When your brain no longer hears the daily sounds it used to, your mind can slowly go crazy. This is exactly what is happening to my grandmother. I did not treat her any differently than I would have pre-Alzheimer, but others have been. I hate it.
By Christina DeFeo4 years ago in Families
Cold Carrot Soup
I remember the bright Sunday mornings when we’d rush to get ready for the journey to Annie and Poppas’: packing our car with a few odds ends and grabbing a bunch of fresh flowers or a cheesecake we had made the night before, then traveling on the road up to Ballito past the lush sugar cane growing on the gentle roll of the land, and seeing it waving us on our way as the wind blew over their tall slender shoots.
By D. C. Jacobs4 years ago in Families
