immediate family
Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.
My Husband, My Hero
The Past At first, it did not occur to me that he was abusive. He didn’t hit me. It wasn’t until after I left that I realised it was abuse. Every type of abuse except he didn’t hit me. He shouted, he lied, he stole, there was financial abuse and gaslighting (I didn’t know what that was until I read about it and realised that’s exactly what was going on). I wasn’t even sure he knew he was doing it. When he took money from me to spend on drink, I don’t know if it occurred to him that it was wrong or if he thought it was somehow acceptable.
By Sapphire Ravenclaw6 years ago in Families
One Wedding Day
My mother woke me with a tender swipe above my cheek and for a second as my eyes seem to draw to focus I thought I saw my mother in her younger years instead of now with grey peppered locks that hung to the left side of her aged face with her glowing life filled eyes of my childhood.
By Sabiyya Brown6 years ago in Families
In Sickness and in Health . . . and in motherhood.
I wanted to write a story about someone other than my mother. You see, mothers can be tricky, because they don’t always do what’s fair or what’s fun at the moment, and they’re really easy to see as imperfect once you realize they’re human. My mother, though, I realized while thinking of a public figure like Michelle Obama or Hilary Clinton, to write about, isn’t just my mom, she’s a woman who immigrated to America from Haiti at the age of 17 and raised me and my siblings in the worst worst circumstances possible, in order to give us a chance at life.
By A. L. Michael6 years ago in Families
MyInspiration
Our Mother are our teachers and educators and they are the most powerful influential people we know. My mother spoke to me when I was very young that she believed in hard work and her mother spoke to her about being a artist of many talents. As time went on I witnessed this is what I would call a blessing and this is what moved me to write about her.
By Queen Sheba 6 years ago in Families
Virtue y Fortuna
I’ve always been quiet. I have always thought to think before I speak. I think it’s served me well actually, and you were a quiet baby too, like I was. And now you’re often told to have a voice. You’re told this so much by so many people that you can barely get a word in edge ways. And I want you to know that having a voice doesn’t mean you have to say something brave or tell the entire world. You don’t have to speak words. Simply choose. Make a choice and be true to how you feel. that’s your voice, and it is shockingly and rightfully valid. I want you to know that when you choose to use it, the right person will hear you.
By Cassie Lilly6 years ago in Families
Liberated Voice
I stand by the Maori proverb that says, “My success is not mine alone, it is that of the collective”. This quote helps me remember that as I grow, I am not alone, there are countless other women and ancestors that have paved my way. I know that their legacy lives within me, they are cheering me on, and that one day our voices will unite and continue to cheer on the next woman.
By Alishia Mccullough6 years ago in Families
What's Not Allowed? What Living in a Pandemic Has Taught Me About Autism
They say that in order to understand something, try it on. Step into its shoes. Wear it for a while; walk a mile in those shoes, and then you will know, really know what it is to be something else, someone else.
By Teresa Hedley6 years ago in Families
The Value Of A Memory
My family had some odd habits when I was growing up. One of the more particularly odd habits of my father was that electricity wasn't permitted in my home on Sundays. No television. No telephone. No stereos. We would gather in the living room or at the dining room table after church and we would play games, tell stories or record cassette tapes to send to the family members that were scattered across the United States. I was a child and thought my father's idea was absolutely stupid. Why in the world couldn't we just be like any other normal family and gather around the television every evening? That we didn't own a television, an action that was taken by my father as a means of discipline, during that period of time further fueled my desire to not be a part of the family gathering. Just as I look back and remember that feeling of "my family is sooooo weird", I can't help but smile at the warm memory of my family gathered around a bulky cassette recorder, before time and circumstances separated we five. It was fun in its purest form. I'm sure the cassette tapes have long been discarded, but the memory will play in my mind forever.
By Phoenixx Fyre Dean6 years ago in Families
Break Free
I write about what I know, what I have seen and become engulfed in for over 15 years. Growing up there were no norms for women’s empowerment. I grew up in the era like many women with the cattiness, the girl cliques and the in’s and out crowd. However coming from a woman dominated family. I have literally seen it all. I was exposed to every kind of woman from young. I knew what I aspired to be from the women I was exposed to.
By Felicia Lee 6 years ago in Families
Divine Women Who've Taught Me The Way
As one woman, I am more than adamant to share with the world the impact that a number of other women have left me with. When they say "it takes a village to raise a child," I think it goes far beyond just teaching them right from wrong. Being raised in a family in which women out number men played a large role in the way I was brought up. My grandmothers, aunts and cousins have embodied wisdom, grace, strength, and optimism. Even watching how they would handle situations and grow from them was a blueprint in itself for me to follow when the time came. Although they are all so different, they are the backbones of my family. Plus, they are a rainbow in which they blend together so beautifully (even on the rainy days). Seeing women in my family who were nothing but nurses, teachers, and lawyers around me was only confirmation that everything I do must be done to perfection, because I watched them do their jobs every day. My mom would often tell me that as one of seven children, my grandmother and grandfather made the decision to create their own shop and opening that business is what led them to push my aunts and uncles through school. Sacrifice is a constant theme in this family of mine. Just the thought of my mom and her siblings coming from the sweet, small island of Jamaica and creating a beautiful life for my two older brothers and I spoke volumes. I'm grateful for my dad as well, but hey. This one is for the women! Allow me to proceed. This very same family taught me how to love and how to dream without ceasing. When I grew into myself I found my love for the arts. I grew up with a heart for singing, writing, and acting. I had days when I thought they'd feel disappointed because over time I wanted to go through life and sing about it, or perform spoken word pieces about it rather than graduating from Harvard with a BA in Nursing. I felt like there was someone else they'd rather me be, because that's who they were, but I was wrong (for the most part) I still get the, "You don't want to go back and do nursing?" but I know it's all out of love. I'm happy as an English major though. As long as my parents are happy about it as well, then I am too. The same support she showed me along my journey of becoming who I am today is what will inspire me to be the same kind of mother to my future child. The powerful women in my family reminded me that they'll be right behind me as I follow every goal I've set until I reach the pinnacle of my success. They carried traits that reminded me that I am so much more than just a girl and that I am the embodiment of a vital spirit. They still remind me of how I am capable to do anything I want to do in the amount of time that has been granted to me on this earth. My grandmother's prayers have carried over even into today for me to live my life to the fullest even on my not-so-good days. I think the best part of this all is that they've taught me to never prove myself to anybody. I remember every day that I came into this world alone, and that is the same way in which I will be leaving it. I can always depend on them because whenever I am hurting over being mistreated or heartbroken, they remind me that it is okay to feel. It’s not normal to repudiate my emotions and no matter how much the world tries to turn my heart into stone, I carry this with me. They remind me to live my life in harmony with truth and honesty. They emphasize for me to stay focused and to always have a keen eye. Being raised with such care has reminded me of my purpose for walking this Earth. Two forms of the many arts that I adore (music and writing) have presented icons who I look up to, Lauryn Hill and Sista Souljah. I love everything about the spirit of Ms. Hill. She carries herself with so much grace and natural beauty that forces me to just be real with myself and with everyone around me. Her talent is unbelievable and she has a voice that makes me feel like dancing in the middle of a storm. I don't know where the world of music would be without her as one woman. Sista Souljah has taken the boring feel out of reading for me. I loved to write growing up, but I dreaded reading. I became a bookworm after being introduced to The Coldest Winter Ever and A Deeper Love Inside. I think Black urban literature is a significant part of Black culture and those two novels have changed my life, truthfully. They even inspired me to create my own novel which I completed and published earlier this year. I think if the world continues to see through the eyes of the black youth (young black womanhood at that) it would understand us a lot better. She really puts her finest efforts into the pages and I feel every bit of emotion as I read, and re-read, and re-read again. I want to make sure that the young brown girl I bring up is aware of all the things I've learned and experienced from all of these lovely women and then some.
By Tiffany Linton6 years ago in Families
