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.
Light
September 3, 2017 The Initiative. July 24, 1987 I had turned 9 nearly two months prior and as I held a balloon that my mom had given me earlier that day during the parade, I sat on the side of the hill at Liberty Park awaiting the fireworks that were scheduled to start in the next few minutes.
By Wendy Finau8 years ago in Families
Letters from Yesterday
Under my bed, there is a box. Though most people have boxes under their beds, those boxes usually have forgotten toys, clothing, or other unimportant articles which would be just as well in the trash as they are under the bed. But the box under my bed is filled with some of the most important things to me. When opened, one will find colorful cards for about every occasion inside. Most people wouldn’t think twice about those cards. They are just pieces of paper with forced greetings on the front and a short "personal" message inside. For most, those things would be easily thrown away shortly after being received, but the cards within this box hold the most important thing in the world to me. The words of a father I never got the chance to grow up with.
By Zephryna Lunatari8 years ago in Families
31st October 2008
I've been signed up to this site for about two weeks and have wanted to start writing articles, but couldn't find anything good to write about. Then on the 31st October 2017, it hit me. My first article will be about one of the worst days of my life and how this holiday is a part of that.
By bailey saunders8 years ago in Families
To the Grandmother I Never Knew...
You didn't know me, and I didn't know you. We were merely strangers that shared DNA. The saying blood runs deep is both true and yet, a lie. You see, I will never live without you, even though I did live without you. I will never forget you, though from day to day, you were like a whisper rather than an actual presence in my life.
By Jessie Melanson8 years ago in Families
Gone Too Soon
It’s been almost three years since you decided to leave us for greener pastures. I still don't understand why you felt that was the only way to fix things. I thought that you were happy and finally able to cope with your pain and longings to be somewhere else but it would appear that I was wrong.
By Sherri Ruoti8 years ago in Families
Writing Empathy, Influenced by Loss
Warning: May be hard to read if you've lost a loved one. It was certainly hard to write. Before I start, I want to mention a song: "Lithium," by Evanescence. It's not really fitting to what I want to talk about, but... it's a song that means a lot to me, for a lot of reasons. As I may write about someday, my mother and some other members of my family struggle with addiction, which is one reason why the song holds a lot of weight with me. It also makes me think of depression, which is another subject I believe I have a good understanding of. And, in truth, my favorite character ever written suffered from manic depression. But this song is also one that I listen to when I'm in my darkest spots. I listen to it when I'm feeling rejected... I listen to it when I feel low. And I listened to it, for a very long time, when my grandfather died.
By Summer Rain8 years ago in Families
Addiction
Sometimes I wonder if it was suicide, a way out of misery. A life left alone, old and frail, a life where if no friends were available for fun then life wasn't worth anything. He seemed so confused about what was the right thing that the bad things were hidden in the obvious. We all knew he had a problem but we couldn't talk about it. It hurt too much.
By Juliaa &&kidds8 years ago in Families
