Family

When you have a progressive or chronic health condition, it’s your responsibility to tell other people when you are struggling or getting worse, which is hard when you yourself are processing things. Sometimes you can’t even find the words to explain what you are going through, and once you do…

“The graveyard is full of ‘irreplaceable’ and important people” — There are rare moments when a hard truth stops you in your tracks. The other day I read a Reddit post titled “20 Years from Now, the Only People Who Will Remember That You Worked Late Are Your Kids.” I began to tear up. I instantly began to think of…

Two poems about flowers — If you want unlimited access to this story and many others like it, use this link to sign up for a premium membership: https://medium.com/@cdtppy/membership. For just $5 per month, you will have unlimited access to Medium. The Price of Beauty Would I risk sounding like a brute If flowers are not really my thing? I like…

How that scruffy, neglectful man could have produced her, I don’t know. He certainly does not deserve the little angel… — “Daddy, where shall we sit?” The small girl turns around excitedly on the ferry lounge looking at all the possibilities, holding not one, but three dollies. Her father — a thirty-something, tracky-bottom wearing, sweaty geezer — doesn't even survey his surround. …

The moment my marriage came undone We were 6 months into our reconciliation and had fallen into the same patterns. I ran errands. I planned the menus. I was the keeper of the shopping list. The only difference was that instead of him walking into a house we shared, I…

OMG! I’m freaking out! — A lot of you probably realize this, but Lilith Helstrom isn’t my real name. I chose it because I wanted to write about feminism and deconstructing Christianity. I found the name fitting because Lilith is a controversial, feminist figure from religious lore, and “Helstrom” sounds like “hell storm” so much…

How wealth and privilege can shield us from healing and truth. — My earliest memory is from 1984. I’m on the side of a highway in Connecticut, and my mother is telling me to pick up all the pieces of glass from the smashed headlight of my grandfather’s Mercedes while she talks to the cops. It was notable to me because I…

The Month For New Beginnings — May was a tough month, there was so much stress but I can’t really say anything bad about how it ended. I managed to find a place to live. I also made some future goals for when things settle down. I also am surprised to say that I hit a…

Keeley Schroder June Writing Prompts — My Sweet Glimmer Keeley has once again supplied us with a month of prompts for June, and today’s prompt is “Share some glimmers from your day.” I had to read about glimmers as I sure didn’t know what they were. When I look at the day there are a few glimmers. My DIL…