humanity

Humanity begins at home.

Eire go Brach
Where is Ypres? All I know is, it's in bloody France. None of the boys know how to say Ypres. We call it Wipers. I don't know a Paddy or a Tommy, who speaks a word of French.
By Serena D5 years ago in Families
Little Light
I can't seem to stop the burning rising to my throat from my lungs, I can't stop running though, not until I reach Mary's barn house. The dead leaves and fallen rotted bark already found their way through the tender skin of my bare feet. If I risk looking back it may give him enough time to catch up, I'll have to check on them tomorrow.
By Bobby Jackson 5 years ago in Families
The Painting on the Wall
Woodburn, WV, October, 1864 Ruby had just finished her evening prayers and was about to pick up the oil lamp to go upstairs to her bedroom when some noise outside, on the porch, made her freeze on the spot. Alert, not daring to breathe, she listened as something slid just outside her door.
By Sylvie Gagné5 years ago in Families
Shelter in the field
The tents spread out over night like white mushroom caps - more and more emerged each day of the week. Sofia went out into the morning field, shrouded in a dove-colored haze. She tried to make out the canvas peaks of the tents, far away on the edge of the steppe, when suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a figure creeping in the predawn mist. The figure moved quickly, often looking around, emerging and disappearing between the stalks. Sofia bent down and looked around: There was an old barn nearby, perhaps they spent the night there, and now was heading to the circus, but why so early? When the figure was completely out of sight, Sofia moved towards the old barn. Gently stepping on the damp earth, she went to the dilapidated doors and opened them with a crunch. "-Mama?" a small voice said. Confused by the unexpected presence of a child, Sofia quickly closed the door, and heard soft sobs inside the barn. She put her ear to the door and said quietly: "Who are you?" The sobs subsided for a moment and the voice replied: "I am Yakub, and who are you?" Sofia opened the door and peered in with one eye. She couldn't see anything at all in the purple gloom and asked: "Has your mom left?" "I don't know" -the boy replied- "But Agata will bring me bread." And he sighed deeply and uneasily. "May I come in?" Sofia asked. "Do you have a gun?" as if by chance inquired the child. “I don’t have a gun ..” Sofia answered confused. "Then come in!" He exclaimed delighted.
By Salomé Saffiri5 years ago in Families
The Old Tin Barn
The dilapidated tin barn, half-collapsed and damaged extensively by every element over the course of its long life, blocked out the light from the setting sun as it descended on the Wyoming horizon. No one was around to witness it, the way the orange sunbeams curled around the perforated sheets of metal and rotted wooden beams, the squirrel nests and cobwebs nestled in the rafters. The sun went down quietly, and the only sounds were of the stream bubbling gently along down the hill and a solitary wolf howling mournfully somewhere in the distance. Before long, the sun was gone, and the world was black.
By cade gilbreath5 years ago in Families
How I Spent My Summer Holiday
It is with a sense of despair that I faced the prospect of keeping a weekly journal throughout my summer holidays. I really don’t think it is fair for the teachers to assign homework over the summer. But my parents say it’s good for me, and they are going to want to read it when we go home. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to read something so boring. What happened today changed everything.
By Gail Wylie5 years ago in Families
The Town Saved By A Barn
Everyone said it was such a blessing that no one had died. I remember my heart and breath stopping when I saw the damage the tornado had done. It didn’t seem real, I was just ten years old and I’d never felt or seen anything like that. The twister had left a rut in the ground from the highway right through our two story house. I couldn’t wait to tell the guys.
By Marchele M Banks5 years ago in Families
THE PROMISE
THE PROMISE Written by James D. Merrick , June 1, 2021 Come back with me to my first December in my very first home. Yes, of course, I had lived in other places, garages mostly, for all of my nine years. But this day signaled the start of the first Christmas I would celebrate in the first home my folks had ever owned. Beams of early morning sunlight had melted the frost on the kitchen’s windowpane, near where I sat. On any other day, I would have stared outside and marveled at Mom’s winter garden. I would have watched blackbirds fight for a position in the sunlight on the cables sagging across the spaces between telephone posts at the rear of the property. But that day was different. The golden orb’s warmth penetrated the pane and cozied into my shoulder blades as I reclined against the glass. On that day, I sat cross-legged on a padded chrome chair with my back to the curtainless kitchen window, my chin rested on the palm of my hand as I watched wide-eyed while Father busied himself at the counter. Dad was baking!
By James Dale Merrick5 years ago in Families
I'll never forget her name
It was the summer of 1975, and I started my first part-time job at the local grocery store. It was a small store run by the meanest man in town, Old Man Shaw. He mistreated everyone, especially the bag boys and stockers. He worked us part-time, and since we were teenagers, he didn't have to pay minimum wage, so I think I made like $2.00 an hour or something like that. I still lived at home, and this was only my freshman year in high school, so the money I made was my spending money and to help out with school clothes. He hired a police detective to manage the store on Friday nights because, on Friday nights, the supply truck came. All of the stockers and bag boys were expected to stay late, unload the trailer, and stock the shelves. Old Man Shaw was afraid we would steal from him, so Detective Ivy would hang out in the back and watch us unload the truck and store everything in the stockroom, and then Ivy would lock the doors when we were done. I should mention this truck brought everything from canned goods and bread to fresh meat, beer, and wine.
By Joey Lowe5 years ago in Families
I Fell Out of a Tree Into a Cactus
I was 11 years old and friends and I had climbed a tree. I was trying to show off as usual when I was with my friends, because I always felt it was my duty to entertain them.
By Dean Gee5 years ago in Families
lockdown blues
Covid cane about as a huge shock to the entire world, most of our countries took the news very well abided by there governments rules and regulations to keeps us safe but here in England we did no such thing the first time around. We still went out , We still partied and we didnt not care the select few of us did. Now this is what got my knickers our government set up food packages for the elderly and though who were medically unwell and was advised by there local gps not to leave at all but guess who else was important but got forgotten about! . Single parents with no other adult in house to help look after the children and go shopping I was one of these parents single mother to four and been medically exempted by gps how was i meant to go food shopping for the kids and myself if i didnt i was neglecting my children and myself and home we as single parents are yet to be misjudged and look past and ignored. So as previously stated trying to get any medical appointments i may as wrll self diagnose because the basic medical needs were right out the window and rightly so but two years on here i am still awaiting my routine yearly appointment for a life long illness that has somewhat progressed to getting worse. This has made me very angry because now il be another stat for the covid cases and i would of been one of the lucky ones to escape it if i had been given my routine check up. So what do i do know you ask well now we are going back to normal ( maybe ) i can finally get the medical attention i actually need. So now the doom and gloom has gone maybe i can focus on what normality wilp be for the country and mainly as my family. Months of online learning for the children for less hours than there used too, not seeing the friends and loosing close friendships , childrens mental health , and thebone billion snacks a day including lunch breakfast dinner ect is this our new normal now ? is this how it is for every single mom with 2 kids or more ? I really want to know what our new normal is. So so far back to school has to be re introduced one child statted year five and spent 80% of it online leanring with me and the other started year 6 and has lost 80% of her school year , first day back for her and it was sats prep they as a whole class were not ready for this , they had not learned a thing about this the wholw time they were home so this effectively took a toll on the children , friendships were broken so badly neither child spoke to each other now it’s becoming the end of year 6 with two weeks left and 90% of the class are failing sats exams so they will struggle in there first year in secondary school this is extremely hard on them , then there is the lack of sleep routine a tired child is a child that will not learn because they are tired so thris is a struggle too, ky kids go bed between 8:30 and 9pm and im in bed at 11 pm i can promise you one thing il be gone to sleep before them. so i have more to share will write part two tomorrow
By Bonnie 5 years ago in Families
Pompo
Summers were hot in Eastern Washington. Not just your average hot, but skin searing, blood boiling, bright, dry heat. For the older kids, there was always plenty to do. More than they imagined, if they dared to utter the words "I'm bored". If you grew up on a farm, you'd know what I mean. A day's work is never really done, and there is surely something that always needs doing. I was only five when I realized those three words were never to be whispered, for fear a grownup might hear you.
By Wendy Sanders5 years ago in Families