humanity
Humanity begins at home.
More than Manifestation
After my mother died, the responsibility of cleaning out her belongings was left to me, her only child. Digging through the disarray that she called a closet, I found a little black notebook with a note that read, "My dearest daughter, Elizabeth. You're ready". I had no idea what exactly I was "ready" for, but I trusted my mother. I took the little black notebook in my hands. It was thin and small but sturdy to the touch. I unwrapped the twine that was so neatly tied in a bow that you would have thought my mother re-tied it a million times to get it so perfect. Maybe she did. I looked into the journal and flipped through pages and pages of the same sentences and phrases repeated over and over again. I had heard of manifestation, but this had to be more than that. It had to. It was too specific. In the notebook was the phrase, "Lizzie will be promoted at her job in 2 weeks". I checked the date, and sure enough, it was dated two weeks before I received my big promotion. Every sentence my mother had repeatedly written in this tiny notebook of hers, had come true in less than a month's time from the date that it was written. About halfway through the notebook, the writing stopped. There was a note addressed to me. It read, "Lizzie, use the second half of this notebook wisely and carefully. I love you," followed by a page filled with the sentence, "My daughter has everything she needs". Little did I know, by giving me that notebook, she gave me just that: everything I need. The day after I found the notebook, I was running some errands and saw a billboard advertising a $20,000 lottery ticket. I decided to pick up a ticket for myself, and now the wait began. I continued to write the sentence, "I have everything I need" in the notebook. I wrote until my hand felt like it was going to disintegrate. I wrote for what felt like hours on end. The following week the winners were announced. I rushed to turn on the news. My hands trembled as I fumbled with the remote trying to change the channel. As soon as I had gotten to the right channel, I heard a man exclaim, "And the winner of the grand prize of 20,000 dollars is...". My heart was pounding. My nerves were shot. Then, I heard the man once more, "Elizabeth Beckam! Please call the number on your screen to confirm your prize!". My heart raced with excitement. I called the number and did exactly as the man said, secured my prize. I was so thankful to my mother. She really did hand me everything I needed when she left me that tiny black notebook. She handed me control over my own life, something I had never had before. Don't get me wrong, my mother made sure we never struggled. My father left when I was a child, and she had always done an exceptional job of taking care of me. A few days after I had called in to claim my winnings, I went through all of the tedious paperwork, which seemed to never end. Then, they wrote me a check for $18,000. They took taxes and fees out, wrote me the check, and let me be on my way. I stopped by the bank on my way home, explained to the teller that I had been fortunate enough to win this money, cashed out my check, and went home. I checked the online banking app that I have on my phone. The numbers I saw were just astounding. I was not even home from the bank for an hour when I decided to go shopping. I went and bought myself new clothes. I replaced my phone that was about 4 years outdated. I finally was able to do for myself without being overwhelmed with guilt. When I got home, I looked into stock investments. I bought stock in over 10 different companies. Over the course of the next ten years, I made 3 million dollars from the stocks I had purchased. I saved the remainder of the money to contribute to buying a modest house for my future family and put money towards my future childrens' education, only spending what was necessary over the course of the next ten years. In that time, I met an amazing man. He was tall, toned but not too buff, and he had the kindest eyes I had ever seen. I refrained from telling him about my winnings in fear that he would stay with me only for the money, but he proposed to me before I had even mentioned it. I gained a fiance and I gained his daughter from his previous marriage. She had twinkling blue eyes, only four years old. When she smiled at me, I melted. I had a happy family and more than enough money to support us all. When I had finally told my fiance about the money I had come into ten years ago, he pulled me in tight for a hug and said, "Baby, I love you whether you have $2 to your name or $200 million to your name. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm especially not here for your money. I'm here for you". I fell in love all over again that day. I realized I was going to have a beautiful life with a family I adored. My mother was right, I had everything I needed.
By Maura Crowne 5 years ago in Families
THE CROAKING OF FROGS
I HAVE Oh! she was a princess. Although she was not a princess with a sceptre and a crown, with a kingdom of hers, with servants to wash her or cook her delicacies, she was but a maiden with the right to everything, for she was beautiful and fine, well-spoken and charismatic; or at least that was what they had always told Matilda.
By Sebastian Williams5 years ago in Families
Toxicity
As he paced behind me like a penitent heading to a confessional, the stairway became more narrow with each step. We were about to explore a luxury that we assumed most people of color couldn't afford, therapy. Contrarily, I was taught by a devout Catholic woman that therapy is for crazy people who don't have faith in God. If they had more faith, prayed a little more everyday and repented, they'd be delivered. Where to? I don't know, but I know my mom hadn't been delivered either because of her violent mood swings, profanity, and regular conversations with herself. Nonetheless, we had arrived here. Our relationship was defined by ten years of toxicity: lying, cheating, fighting, vandalism, addiction, jail and the list goes on. If this was judgement day, we felt only one of us was leaving for good.
By Kimberly D. Dantica5 years ago in Families
Who else is digging lock down
I am what you call an introvert, always loved my own company and always wondered why some people just loved being around other people. Lock down for some is a nightmare, missing their loved ones and worrying about the dire strate the world is in since COVID 19. It's 2021 I am sure I am not the only one to have underestimated how long this was going to last. Nothing seems to be stopping for now and who knows how long it will continue. I empathise with the ones out there affected by lock down it must be very difficult not seeing family members. I on the otherhand love this about lock down it keeps my family at bay, a bit extreme some might say but you haven't met my family. Remember the TV show back in 2004 called Shameless, about a single dad on benefits with loads of kids trying to scam a living anyway they could. Well... thats my family no way are they having my address so they can show me up on my own door step. No my neighbours need saved from that believe me!! My brother said once, "Shell we should take mum on Jeremy Kyle and expose her" I was like "No way thats my worst fear" he was all for it even tried wasting his breath on trying to persuade me to change my mind. I was a nurse, can you imagine all my patients faces as I stood at their bedside to hand them their morning medication to look at me to then realise thats the person on TV. Nope thank you very not I will save my dignity and keep my life to myself not broadcast it to the world. My brother huffed and puffed and tried to blow my house down but he failed miserably. He felt hard done by and wanted payment for his suffering and was assessing all avenues available to him. I mean all avenues even if it meant he made a fool of himself in front of a full audience. I am not saying that's what people did on the show it was a fact I knew about my brother. He is something else. He saw he was getting no where with that idea and gave up asking, his next one was "Shell let's take mum to the newspapers" I was like "Not this again" my ears instantly wanted to close down any hint of his agenda against my mother. I chose to rise above that hence why I lived in an unknown location at an unknown address, only a very select few know where I live and it is staying like that. If I want to see my family I would visit them which was rarely to be honest. I am different from them in every way so its nice to do normal stuff but know lock down disbales them of the feel sorry for me phrase they normally use on me, they know its against guidelines so they can't say nothing and don't I know it. Hence why I am loving lock down no one can come to my door and not being able to visit my mum suits me fine I can chill at home blissfully and wouldn't change it for the world. I wasn't always so anti social it just gradually grew as I chopped toxic people from my life, it left me how I love it, on my own except for my partner that is. See someone might look at me and feel sad or think I may get lonely through having no friends it doesn't bother me at all. In fact I am faced with less drama, I have found in my experience that the more people in my life the more drama it causes. I am too old for that shit, no my life is much better with less people hence why I am digging the lock down rules I'm like "YEAH" "you can't get me" say that and imagine someone doing the Carlton Dance from Fresh Prince of Bellair then you will know the vibe I'm feeling. I am taking full advantage of the lock down and staying inside, even shut all the blinds except all the back windows google Falkland Hill and you will see why, stunning and many hours of entertainment for me during lock down. Events like this make you look at the world and appreciate what you have around you and how lucky you really are. That is how I feel anyway when I look outside, I breath it in. I do understand why people don't like being alone like I do, must be scary being stuck in your own household with no contact from family or friends from outside. It is important we try keep eachother safe, I am doing my bit without even trying as I prefer it, if it was the other way I am not sure my opinion would remain the same. My best friend prefers company, she gets anxious on her own and more than a week her mentle health starts to deteriorate, thank the lord for ipads and video call apps at least you can still see people even if you can't be around them. I often wonder about poorer regions that don't have this kind of technology it must be hard for them. I am just doing what I normally do and go about my day with minimum contact from people. My best friend understands why I am the way I am and never makes me feel bad for months with no contact its who I am and she is fine with that. I know she has good friends and supportive family around her at her end so know she is cared for. She has her partner I am grateful to him as if he was not there I am not sure how she would cope with lock down. I want COVID 19 to end like everyone else but not because I am struggling with lock down I want it to end to protect human life, it seems though that is not on the cards yet, who knows what the future holds it will end one day, until then I will enjoy my peace as I know that too can't last forever.
By Michelle King5 years ago in Families
Learning To Draw
Danielle rode her bike from La Jolla to Mission Beach. A trip she often took since starting at the University of California San Diego a few years ago. The short bike ride went by quicker today for Danielle, and the gorgeous view of the Pacific ocean felt a little muted. It was still early morning as she pulled up to Mission Beach. The boardwalk already had an electric excitement in the air, but that too was lost on Danielle now. She stopped her bike by a bakery with a green staircase that led up to a studio apartment. This apartment, directly above the bakery, was where her uncle had lived. Leaning her bike against the railing, Danielle took a deep breath, the salty smell of the beach mixed perfectly with that of freshly baked bread. Going up the stairs, she let her left hand glide across the railing.
By David Smith5 years ago in Families
Sketching Memories
The hot coffee in Teresa’s paper cup has gone cold as it has been enveloped by the morning dew on the blades of grass surrounding her. Her pants grow damp through the hospital blanket she is sitting on, but she doesn’t notice. Her nose is in the little black notebook atop her knees as she scribbles furiously with her tongue poking out of one side of her mouth briefly, retreating and reemerging from the opposite corner.
By Ariana Annunziato5 years ago in Families
House Parties and Pastries
I’d never imagined that much like my grandmother, I would find myself as an immigrant in a distant land. The circumstances on which we both traveled were very different. She fled Portugal nearly a century ago to escape an upcoming dictatorship and its social and economic crisis and to look for opportunities with her husband and a toddler in her arms. I was pursuing a new phase in my adult life that included taking a leap of faith and starting a new career in another country.
By Maria Elizabeth Coverdale5 years ago in Families
Mr. Delaney's Diaries
Before he even got to me, Mr. Delaney had greeted each and every person in the restaurant with a childlike smile being held tight by an old man’s tired face. Despite the clear elderly appearance, the entire population 400 town we lived in would agree he was the most childlike of anyone. Always wearing a yellow suit that was only a drop away from a star and always moving with a sort of flow like he was the president or at the very least the mayor. While talking to anyone in his path, more often than not Mr. Delaney would pull from his blazer a small black Moleskin journal. Occasionally the corners would still be stiff, strong, and full of youth. Enough to where one could almost smell the freshness of the pages, as if he’d come to see you straight from whatever shop he replaces filled ones with. Most of the times you’d see the journal it was beaten and worn from excessive use. It was sort of an honor for Mr. Delaney to stop the conversation dead just to whip out his diary. Ever the gentleman he would always pose
By Collin Salajka McCormick5 years ago in Families
Something You Don’t Know
She licks her thumb and presses the spine flat. His old black book, his old habit — she’d nearly forgotten. “No one came by today. I haven’t seen the kids or grandkids in a few weeks now. It’s almost dinner time. The usual for me. A few telemarketers called. Bananas. I can’t forget my bananas at the grocery store.”
By Alyson Kate Long5 years ago in Families
