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.
Grief, Fear, Love and Meanness
Grief, Fear, Love and Meanness People deal with grief differently. I respect that. Some deal with it by walking away and going on with as normal a day as possible. Some cannot face it head on but neither can they find their way to act “normal” and so they spend the day with family or friends who are also grieving. Another person may need to cancel all normal things and isolate themselves choosing to spend the day alone.
By Paula C. Henderson5 years ago in Families
Superman
First off, hello, my name is Haven. I’m from NY, not the city. This tattoo tale is one of many things that broke me, and taught me to rise from the ashes as a better more compassionate version of myself. This story is hundred percent based on my life experience from this past May.
By Haven centi5 years ago in Families
A Tattoo Tale
"Jillian, it's me. I have cancer," The raspy tired voice floated through the receiving end of my phone. A light ringing tone started after the words fell as I was still rubbing my eyes awake the morning of Valentine's Day 2017. I looked over and watched as my most recent love lay tangled in my sheets, trying to reposition into sleep after the electric trill cut the early morning glory earlier than expected. Unexpected is one word I could use to describe the call I got that day. Not only with the information that it contained but also because of who was on the other side. My mother, who I had now not talked to in 45 days after she had beaten me with words of ineptitude and worthlessness as her daughter after coming out to her for the now third time of my adult life. No, she's not just a friend; no, I don't want to date guys; yes, I want to fuck women. But for some reason, it's like some people only hear what they want to believe, only see what their mind allows them to. I could still hear her words echoing in the background, my new name tags hanging from safety pins in my skin. Words can hurt- like knives. Bleeding tears, I sped from her driveway in Phoenix with a vow that we were done, she had made it clear, she was not my mother any longer and that I was a blemish to her name. She wanted nothing to do with me and my "trash girlfriend". Fine. By. Me.
By Jillian LaCroix5 years ago in Families
Too Free to Fly
On March, 27, 2013 I got my first tattoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was college senior year. For spring break, I flew to to that perfect city with two of my closest friends, Gabriella and Sarah. For seven days we danced the streets, took photographs, sipped coffee in charming cafes, moseyed around art museums, and drank wine until 4:00 am. This was my first time out of the country and I fell in love with the feeling only traveling to a new country can give you...freedom. I thought about this feeling most of the week and how I didn't want to lose it. Buenos Aires made me feel like a bird with endless opportunities to fly.
By Lauren Snyder5 years ago in Families
Humming birds and daffodils
I got my first tattoo when I was fourteen years old. I had my fathers name written in scripture on my neck in a friends basement. “Tony” was always going to be my first- ever since I had thought about tattoos- ever since I experienced pain. I decided to put it on my neck because he is always in between my heart and my head.
By Katryna Rose5 years ago in Families
The tattoo I never wanted
I am a lover of tattoos. I have always admired them. I dont believe I have been in a relationship with a man who didnt have tattoos. As my kids began to get older they always talked about their first tattoo, I was firm and said not until you are 18.
By Tina Pihota5 years ago in Families
Death is a friend of mine
“I had done this a thousand times, well quite a bit more than a thousand but who’s counting, and this time would be no different. It’s just something that has to be done and there is dignity to it. That day I went to comfort an old friend, to ease his pain and grant him that reunion he had been aching for. That has always been my favorite part, the end. It’s a way to wrap it all up. That’s what everyone is looking for, the happy ending. All of the best stories have a happy ending, unfortunately the happiness is reserved for the protagonist. In fact most support characters dread the big end, but every one knows when its time to run those credits.
By Bijou Binx 5 years ago in Families
She is signed upon my skin, but lives within my mind and heart...
This is my first tattoo, inked on my 23-year-old skin at my local tattoo parlour in Warrnambool, Victoria, of Australia. I never cared much for tattoos growing up in my teenage years and I never planned tattoos for when I would turn eighteen. I always admired a good tattoo and the story behind it. The story coming from the person with the tattoo is what interests me the most. I definitely see that tattoos can be the initial source of expression for that story, an artistic symbol for the story that is hard to express otherwise.
By Hayden Laird5 years ago in Families
Arrowhead
Allow me to tell you about my grandfather. When I was a child, I spent an untold number of hours with my grandfather. He was tall and handsome, and absolutely full of life. He was also a collector, stopping every chance he could to pick up some small trinket or interesting object to add to his collection. He was particularly fond of Native American arrowheads. He loved finding them and showing them off. We would often roam the river bank behind his neighborhood looking for those little stone triangles, and we found a ton. Going to grandpa's house meant I was coming home with a bounty of colorful rocks and arrowheads, and the prospect always excited me. It wasn't until much later that I found out that he would buy replica arrowheads and pre-shined rocks and scatter them across the riverbank the day before I came to visit. He just wanted to see me smile. As I got older, however, my excitement dwindled. I suffered from the same idea that all teenagers suffer from: the idea of immortality. I let my relationship with my grandfather slip away until I had stopped talking to him entirely. Even though he was such a large part of my childhood, he rarely crossed my adult mind. The idea that, one day, I would never be able to speak to my grandfather again never crossed my mind. Then, one day, while on deployment, I received an email saying that he was on his deathbed, dying from leukemia. He passed shortly after. I never got to say goodbye, and I had to miss his funeral. The news took a heavy toll on me. I regretted every time I didn't call, and every time I didn't visit. I desperately prayed for the opportunity to go back and do it over again. Begged God to let me wander the river bank with him one more time. I would never hear his cheesy jokes, hear his goofy laugh, or see his wide smile ever again. I hated myself for abandoning him like I did. Shortly after my deployment, I visited my mother, who was still struggling with his death. My grandfather was not a wealthy man, and he had few possessions, but to my surprise, i was presented with a box that he left me. Inside was a handwritten letter from him that explained how much he loved me, and that he was sorry we didn't get to spend more time together. It was filled with his cheesy humor, and his trademarked life advice. The box also contained his collection of rare coins and arrowheads. Even after all that time, even after dodging all of his calls and avoiding him for years, all he wanted was to see me smile. The week I returned home, I got this tattoo. I knew I wasn't going to be able to go back and fix the mistakes I made, but I knew I had the power to prevent it from happening again. This tattoo functions as a memorial for my grandfather, and also constantly reminds me that life is sacred, and temporary. It reminds me that anyone can return to the earth at any time, and that it is best to make the most of the time I have with the people I love. I'm never going to let myself forget that again.
By Josh Hungerford5 years ago in Families
