immediate family
Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.
Bunnies in His Pockets
He called me over one afternoon while doing yardwork and told me to reach into his pocket. He's my dad, and I love him, but I hadn't a clue what I was going to find. "It's not going to bite!" he half-scolded me. I took a deep breath and plunged my hand into his deep, work-jacket pocket. Inside I found something impossibly soft. I reached in with my other hand and came up with two soft, brown, wild bunnies. He had been weed-eating the fence row and had accidentally destroyed their nest, so he scooped them into the temporary home of his pocket before the cat found them. They were about to leave the nest anyway, and when the coast was clear, they hippity-hopped happily off.
By Lydia Stewart4 years ago in Families
A Letter from my Father
I don’t have any memories of my father, he died when I was six months old. It was a sudden death, no one got to say goodbye. He was only twenty-six years old. My mother was widowed and a single mother by the tender age of twenty-four. I was left to grow up never knowing my father.
By Paige Turner 4 years ago in Families
You Kept Your Promise. Runner-Up in Dads Are No Joke Challenge.
It’s 1991, and the yellow sun is shining through the dusty windows of our 900-square-foot bungalow. I’m three years old and sporting a strawberry blond bob paired with a fuzzy blue housecoat. It’s funny to see a toddler in a housecoat. As if to suggest they might have an important morning routine to accomplish before they begin their day.
By Stephanie Graham 4 years ago in Families
You are my Mr. Rock.
The only way to plausibly imagine telling the story of my dad is by telling you a story about my dad. Just one. In this single story, you’ll know everything there is to know about this man. I can start by saying he’s a real stand up guy with a firm handshake and a loving heart. But that collateral is better suited for when I design Mahogany Hallmark card greetings.
By Ariel Celeste4 years ago in Families
Surrender Convention and Get Down on the Floor. Runner-Up in Dads Are No Joke Challenge.
“We have to get on the floor.” I said, “When this song comes on, we have to stop what we’re doing and get on the floor.” It was Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain. I can’t listen to it standing up. I have to lay down and let the floor hold all of my body. I laid down on the rug.
By Jen Parkhill “JP”4 years ago in Families
How My Dad Courted (and Married) Mom
Allow me to introduce my parents to you all. My father, Thomas "Tom" Brant Kauffman, and my mother, Virginia "Ginger" Ann Fosket Kauffman, were not exactly able to guess that they would marry each other initially, not without spending the time to get to know each other. In fact, they didn't know each other at all back then. If it weren't for the interference of my dad's little sister, who was my mom's best friend at the time, then maybe they would not have met.
By Samuel Kauffman4 years ago in Families
Dear Dad ...
Dear Dad, aka “Papa”. When I first found out I was pregnant at 18, I was not scared to tell the world. I was scared to tell only one person. That person was you. You were the only one I was scared to disappoint. You were the only one I worried about.
By Caitlin Fladager4 years ago in Families
Cycle Breaker Magic
My father was five years old when he first came to America as a refugee during the Vietnam war. The trauma this man has overcome is astounding. Even though our family doesn’t have an enchanted house with magic doors or super powers, I wholeheartedly believe that he is a cycle breaker that is just built differently.
By Rebeka Nguyen4 years ago in Families
What A Melon
Watermelon signifies one of my favorite summer memories - spending time with my dad in a wide array of different conversations. The juicy bites of a watermelon remind me of each juicy detail I was willing to share with the person I trusted most in the world, as well as the juicy bits of wisdom and humor he was willing to share with me.
By Kristy K Boone4 years ago in Families
