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.
Love's Legacy
After months ambling through a fuzzy world, I was ready. I had to be ready. Surprised that I wasn’t shaking, I stepped into the unit that had been my parents’ home for the past fifteen years. Mum had passed away several years ago and, from the sight of the unit, Dad had kept it a lot tidier than my sweet clutterbug mother ever had.
By Elissa Savage5 years ago in Families
Mother
As I grew up I was always warned to be prepared for the worst. But, like any other dumb teenager I didn’t listen, 2020 hindsight exists for a reason I guess. When I woke up this morning I didn’t expect for my entire world to start crumbling down. When I left for school that morning I was under the impression that when I got home my family and I would being going out to dinner to celebrate my moms new promotion. Things don’t always go as planned though.
By Brandi Gardner5 years ago in Families
Written Out
Lilith Everett was an unremarkable girl with a remarkable secret. She had gone through her 19 years without money, faith, or other such inconveniences, and had developed a sharp wit, a sharper temper, and a deep attachment to things that weren’t really there. She guarded her secret like some people guarded their life’s savings, and she never, ever turned out her lamps at night.
By Elena Maldonado-Dunn5 years ago in Families
Thank you, Pop:
Two weeks after my father’s funeral, I decided I was finally ready to start the bittersweet task of sorting through his personal affects one Saturday morning. Feeling the now all too familiar lump rise up in my throat, I clamped down on my emotions and willed myself to drive to Pop’s on a bright, sunny day that completely contrasted my melancholy.
By Catherine M.5 years ago in Families
I'll Find You in the Stars
Rain droplets pounded the roof, creating a soft white noise in my ears. A stern man sits behind a metal desk, he’s going on about the details of the crash. The single-car crash that killed my twin sister. My mind is a thousand, no, a trillion miles away from here. I feel queasy. My vision is blurry. Am I going to faint? I’m stopping my feet from moving to the nearest window and throwing myself from it. I should be dead too. Why didn’t I go with her? I can’t remember the last words I said to my sister before she left on her let's-try-to-save-another-animal gig. Or was it saving the trees? The ocean? I’m not sure. My sister, Eudora, was a popular activist, completing over two dozen missions to protect and save the vulnerable animal population and environment. Now I will never be able to speak to her again.
By Emma Hendrix5 years ago in Families
The Accident
I woke up to a view of the highway, but we weren't moving. I immediately knew something wasn't right by the lack of glass missing from the windshield. I look around, still not very sure of what's going on. To my left, there's an empty driver seat but as I look right I see something that knocked me out of my sleepy haze. Blood streaming down her face I couldn't help but scream, "Mom!" I knew she could hear me because she started moving her head. I wanted to help her but what could a twelve year old do in the middle of a busy highway? I tried to get out of the car because somehow the other six passengers were nowhere to be found. I realized that there was something heavy on my lap. Looking down I see the reason behind the accident. A deer strewn across the front street, dead from the impact he's just laid upon our car, now just dead weight. Too much for me to move I began to panic and I finally managed to knock him off of me. I can barely hear my mom whispering my name through the crying and hysterics I'm producing. I know she needs help, she can't open her eyes. That stupid deer knocked glass into her eyes slashing her eyelids. I knew all she was seeing was red and I knew she was scared. I got out the car but I tell her I'll be back. Looking to my right at the immense traffic approaching I find a chance as I run to the shoulder of the highway. Three lanes later and I make it to the other six passengers all consisting of family. They were all screaming and crying and for the longest I thought it was because of my mom. And it was until I turned to the right, exposing my left cheek to them. The hysterics grew worse not just from me but from them too. My cousin grabbed my arm and took me to a van that had pulled over to help us. He was at the car talking to my mom; I guess those were the instructions from the dispatcher. She told me to look into the glass and I can't figure out why until I see white. Apparently, that stupid deer had kicked me in the face leaving a deep gash across my left cheek. There was no blood it was just white which freaked me out even more. There was no pain, I touched it to see if it would hurt and it didn't. My cousin told me to sit down as the guy came back over and said the paramedics would be here soon. As if they had heard him, approaching us with their sirens and lights were the paramedics. I didn't want to go with them, I hated hospitals. But, they made me lay down on one of the stretchers and they wheeled me into the back, then they wheeled my mom in too. I was asking if she was okay but she didn't respond and I started crying again. It seemed like forever by the time we got to the hospital. They took me to one room and took my mom somewhere else that really made me mad. I needed to see her so she'd know I was okay and she’d know the same about me. The doctors were cutting my clothes off, my favorite ones that I wouldn't be able to wear anymore even though there was blood all over it I still wanted to keep them.
By IntrovertedExrovert5 years ago in Families
