family
Family unites us; but it's also a challenge. All about fighting to stay together, and loving every moment of it.
Twenty Five
A light blue sky with cottony clouds arched above a canopy of oak, birch, and maple trees. Small, green buds dotted the branches. Sun beams poked their way through the clouds and illuminated the rocky, mossy forest path. The woman breathed in deeply. A cool, earthy scent filled her nostrils. She was dressed unconventionally for a walk in the forest. She wore no shoes. The moss tickled the bottoms of her tanned, bare feet. She wore a rich plum, velvet off the single shoulder dress that came to her knees. Velvet fabric draped elegantly on her one shoulder. The dress was loosely fitted and ruched across the bodice. She wore simple gold hoops and a gold thread necklace with polished, clear quartz crystal beads. Her black hair was in its tousled and messy state down her back. She walked softly along the path; guided only by intuition.
By Julie Achterman5 years ago in Humans
My Mother's Last Gift
I have always been very close to my Mother. We would meet for lunch or dinner weekly, up until the lockdowns due to the Covid-19 virus. It pained me so much not to be able to see her in person during those months of confinement. One evening at dinner, we were discussing my horrible, boring love life. Being as I was almost 43, she told me that she knew I would meet someone and could not wait to share a glass of her favorite merlot with him someday. She had taken a liking to this specific wine, not only because the woman on the bottle resembled her beloved grandmother, but she really enjoyed the notes of blueberry, leather, tobacco, and chocolate, and how the taste would linger around her mouth after every sip. I laughed at the thought of finding a decent partner, because I had never felt mutual love and it was starting to seem as if I never would. I asked her, “How will I know when I have found true love?”
By Vivian Barahona5 years ago in Humans
The life I lived
Growing up my life was in between good and bad there were days that I had bad days due to bad things happening and then the days where I had good things that happen. As a baby I grew up with a heart condision and was slow with my learning, I grew up not knowing who my father was because my mom kept me from him because others told her things and she believe them. I never had the proper help and was always in the hospital seeing doctors and being tested on I never had a break. People bullied me always made fun of me called me names saying that I don't belong that no likes me,don't get me wrong I had a few friends as a kid that helped me when I was being brought down. I spent most of my time at home in my room reading books, listening to music and singing as I loved singing and reading. In grade three my mom lost my siblings and I, we were put into foster care and that hurt as my brothers were put in a different city then my sister and I but I had my sister with me. While my sister and I were in our foster home we were treated badly it got to the point my sister ran away and we tried to go back to our mom but that never happned and we were brought back to the foster home and were made to sit on the hard floor for hours. It was like that all the time until one day my mom got my younger brother my sister and I back, my older brother had to stay in foster care for bit long. A few years after my mom got us younger kids back when I was 10 years old I was raped by a family friend who was 60, after it happend it took me a long time to get over it, I went to counselling and was having nightmares. When I was in grade four I was picked to go to Alberta for the Tim Hortons camp I was excited as it was a life time oppertunity but then I found out that my grandma was sick in the hospital and was on her death bed which made me not want to go to Alberta any more as I wanted to be with my grandma. I told my mom that and she told me that if I didn't go that my grandma would hunt her so I eneded going because my mom forced me. While I was in Alberta I wasn't having a good time at first but then that changed after the 3rd day, I got to go horse back ridding in the mountins, water rafting, camping in the mountins and other fun activities. The last night being at camp I said my goodbye to all the friends I made while everyone at camp was around the the bonfire. The rest of the summer after I got home from camp went by slow then school started and it was my last year before I went to jounior high but also the year I got in trouble. When I was in grade six I was having a hard time with my school work and the teachers I had never did anything but made fun of me saying I was not smart enough and need to go to a school for thoes that have a learning problem so I was moved to a different school in grade seven. The teachers I had in grade seven had my mom come in and told my mom they were going to move me to grade nine in september as they said I was too smart and that I needed to be with kids my age. From that day on my mom started treating me bad she started making me cook dinner and clean the house while taking care of my younger siblings while she sat around on the computer. There were times my mom would beat me, I would go to school with cuts and bruses which my teachers notice and asked me about them which I would lie just so my mom wouldn't get into trouble. It took me putting up with the abuse until I was 14 years old and my mom held a knife to me and said she would kill me, she did this in front of my sister we were both scared. I took off that night. I went to my teachers's house and told her everything and how I didn't want to go back there but was worried about my siblings and was brough back to my mom's, I stayed up all night that night worried my mom would try to do something while I was a sleep. When I went to school the next day I was having a hard time staying awake in class and one of my teachers were mad at me until the teacher I told everything to told the other what happend, I was given the rest of the day to chatch up on my sleep. After school was done I was called to the office just to find CAS there waiting for me right there I knew they were there to take me to another foster home. As they were took me I asked about my sister and brother, asked where they were the CAS worker told me that they were safe and being brought to their foster home. The foster home I was brought to was a place I knew already as it was where a friend of mine was living so I felt ok being there. That year I was on the computer with my aunt on my mom's side and she and I talked about how she didn't like my mom for what she did to me. Also my aunt one day told me she found my biological dad and gave me his e-mail, I right away started to talk to him for the first time. It didn't take me to get to know my father which made me happy I was even going to move in with him and my half brothers but that was taken from me as that yeaer my father passed away from a heart attack. I felt like everything was falling apart and for days I stayed away from people and cried thinking to myself why bad things always happened to me, why I felt like something was wrong with me. That day forward I started doing bad things getting into trouble to the point I was moved from foster homes to foster homes until they found one I was at for three years . Just after I turned eight-teen the foster mom I had for three years was at my step dad's with all my stuff and told my step dad which is my younger brother's dad that I was his problem now. I was confused and upest and once again thought what did I do for her to not want me or to just turn away from me. I was living with my step dad and younger siblings until I was twenty then I left and was homeless for a month before I went and lived with my boyfriend at that time. I moved to London, Ontario with my boyfriend which made my mom mad and her deciding to treat my boyfriend and his family bad. It got to the point I had to tell my mom that if she didn't stop that she would lose me for good as she was being a bitch yes I called my mom a bitch back then. My mom stopped for a few years but started up agian when she found out I was pregnent with my first child. I was stressed out while I was carrying my child thanks to my mom so I lost it again on my mom this time I told her that she either stops or she will never see her grandchild. As the time came and I was ready for my child to enter the world I had my mom and all of my boyfriend's family at the hospital. Two months after my first born and I were sent home from the hospital my boyfriend and I moved up north with our baby because my boyfriend back then wanted to keep my child and I away from my family but to be with him. Things started going down hill after we moved to a small town called Manitouwadge and I tried leaving with my child so many times but never did because of my boyfriend at the time. Life in Manitouwadge was not go I was never happy and I wanted for my child and I to be happy away from my boyfriend. When my child was four I finually was able to have my mom come visit us as my boyfriend at the time was dealing with him mom being on her death bed due to cancer. While my mom was visitiing she was noticing that my boyfriend back then was treating me and our chld like crap and how he was abusing us. My mom tried to get my child and I out but was not able to. In 2019 I found out that I was pregnet agian and had a hard pregnacy with my secand child no thanks to my boyfriend at the time. Last year my mom and older brother came up for a visit and once again my mom saw that I was the only one doing things around the house while my boyfriend/ father of my two children was no where to be found as he was always out drinking and smoking weed. My mom was angry and told me that she wanted for me and my children to leave, for us to be in a better place and I agreed as I was done with being treated badly and having my child be around my boyfriend their father while he was drunk and doing things to hurt us. While I was packing things for my children and myself inbetween taking care of my children my children's father allowed my oldest child after I said no go with his intoxicated sister to a drug house. I was ready to hurt my boyfriend at that time for putting my child at risk but didn't as I was more worried about taking my children and leaving which I did.
By Katherine Gough5 years ago in Humans
Brother, My Brother...
April 15th 2005 my life changed forever. 15 years later I am still not the same person. Now I have some questions that I want to hurl at the world? Have you ever lost a sibling? What would it do to your life ? How would you cope if you thought you were responsible for this person's death? What if someone tried to make you harm this person? How would you feel? Keep these 4 questions in mind because I am about to take you on a journey that will blow your mind.
By Stephanie Kitchens5 years ago in Humans
Trifecta of Thrift Treasures
I was not really exposed to thrift stores until I was in university and we were looking for costume ideas for Halloween. The first time I walked into the Value Village downtown with my friends, I paused with the sheer size of it. Inside, there was a buzz. They instantly fell into the flow and groove of the store. Crowded and many people on the same mission in October, knowing this was the treasure trove of finds.
By Sara Christine5 years ago in Humans
Maximus
I woke up to the scent of fresh gingerbread cookies. As I opened my eyes I remembered the sadness that had consumed me recently and it settled back into my personal space after the relief of no-conscious-thought-slumber. I thought I might have even woken up FROM the cookie smell - the intensity called me from my dream world. I blinked a few times, sending sparks of hope out into the world, believing that, somehow, today would be a better day. I rolled over and looked at the time on my cell phone. 8:23. I sighed. “Too early,” I thought. I put my phone down quickly before the aching pang of social media curiosity drew me in. I lay in bed looking at the ceiling. “Knock knock...” It was the gingerbread fragrance calling me to the kitchen. I sat up slowly and proceeded to the on-suite bathroom in the guest bedroom I was occupying. I played some soothing Michael Buble’ while I showered and finally settled on wearing a black Christmas jumper with a bright white snowman in the center, black jeans and white sneakers. I walked slowly down the stairs towards the kitchen area. My mom was leaning over the stove, preparing all kinds of wonderful Christmas treats, my dad was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. A sight for sore eyes. That he still appreciated the art of ink and paper, extravagant advertising and local information made him a priceless antique in my eyes. He sipped on his hot coffee. My sister, 2 years younger than me, was also sitting at the table. There were laid out newspapers and 3 small jars of paint. She was focusing intently as she put color to a small clay figurine of a fairy. She dipped her paintbrush in a glass of water.
By Nadia Iris5 years ago in Humans
I Left My Love in Catalina
The ferry ride to Catalina Island was rocky as I kept the urn close to my chest. The heavy metal containing my mother's ashes was a pretty thing with swirls of blue and silver and white, mimicking the tides of the ocean and the seagulls that flew above. It was the last gift I had been able to give her; her mind had fled from her so fast over the past few years that any presents had only delighted her in the moment, more because of the novelty than the actual items themselves. A shame, really: she had been such a collector before the dementia had set in and robbed her of her golden years.
By Jillian Spiridon5 years ago in Humans
Letters From a Locker
My father used to say that if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Sometimes it felt as though I’d ridden a thousand miles worth of wishes. I wondered so many things about my family, but my uncle, the only person left to tell me anything, lay in a hospice bed at home. Thankfully, he received my letter before his heart valves gave out, letting him know how much I loved him. Covid prevented me from visiting, and my uncle hadn’t communicated for years. I remained the only descendant of my grandparents and my uncle had no children. My aunt and I began the daunting task of clearing out the storage locker every Saturday for a month and a half.
By Cynthia Mael5 years ago in Humans
Fleeing the nest during Covid
When the UK lockdown hit back in March 2020 I panicked. A lot. I love my family to pieces but being around them so much was a huge trigger for my anxiety so when I found out that I would be under house arrest with them for good I didn’t react too well. I moved out. At the time I had been with my boyfriend for two months and was staying over almost every night, we were best friends and when the news of us being apart and him losing his job and part of his income that would have been his rent came up we decided that I would just move in.
By Melissa Watson 5 years ago in Humans
