grief
Losing a family member is one of the most traumatic life events; Families must support one another to endure the five stages of grief and get through it together.
The Day My Heart Stopped but the Clock Kept Ticking
Our lives are constantly evolving – at least we hope they will for many years to come. Time doesn’t stop for anyone, for any reason; the darkest and deepest depths of our traumas may bring us to our knees but life goes on.
By Lori Armstrong4 years ago in Families
And So We Grow
“Thomas Pinkerton, do you think people are relegated to one great idea in their lifetime?” a confidently confused eleven year old voice asked. The golden red, fur covered head of Thomas Pinkerton lifted from his massive front paws cocking slightly to the left as if he just got a whiff of red meat on the grill. Thomas Pinkerton was no stranger to these almost precocious existential questions. Mickey O’Malley routinely sat under the same peach tree, wearing nearly the same outfit: white undershirt, black soccer shorts, and bare feet, in the very same position, on the same patch of dirtied grass. With his knees bent, Mickey leaned half his weight on the rough tree trunk releasing the other half through each of his elbows equally onto his knees. He stared downward at the part dirt part grass patch just beneath him where he habitually and involuntarily pulled the grass from its resting place one blade at a time. Mickey’s freckled face was shadowed by both the tree’s heavy foliage and his own bouncing red-brown curls. His face was shedding baby fat by the week, but for now he was half between boyhood and adolescence.
By Chris Botto4 years ago in Families
Brodee
How was one to know that one day before their birthday, their life was going to change forever. Everyone’s life changes for the better or for the worst. Good news comes in many ways, just like the bad news does. But does the bad news ever create something so special and magical to happen? Meeting Brodee is exactly what took place for me.
By Thomas R Dorsett Jr4 years ago in Families
Cara Remembers
Two sisters, 3 years apart in age, sitting together on the carpeted living room floor, just inside of the doorway, innocently hugging each other the way little girls do. It was morning, and it was quiet and peaceful, and the two young sisters were having fun. The living room was large with a high ceiling and several large windows letting in the morning sunlight.
By kristine pruitt4 years ago in Families
Princess
Is it easier or harder to tell a tale at the time it happens or years later? If I were to guess, I would say that every situation is different. For me, this tale is easier said many years later. Loss is something we all deal with in our lives. I experienced it before I lost her and after, but losing her had such an impact on me it changed my makeup forever.
By Heather Stanton4 years ago in Families
WHEN YOU WISH UPON A FAIRY
WHEN YOU WISH UPON A FAIRY Ireland, 1853 I wiped salty tears from my eyes, using an old, embroidered handkerchief that had been my mother’s. I sat on my lumpy iron bed examining the letters — MR, which stood for Maura Reilly — that had been clumsily sewn into the cloth. It was one of the few remaining items belonging to my parents that had been given to me after they’d died during the potato famine, and I’d come here to live in the orphanage when I was twelve.
By Melody Delgado4 years ago in Families
