Category: Stories

I can’t say my childhood was happy, but I know it could’ve been worse. I don’t remember my real parents. My memories start with strangers. I can’t say my childhood was happy,…

When I was twelve, my world ended. My mother died in an accident, and suddenly it was just me and my father. I clung desperately to her memory—her photos, her old mug,…

I (40F) still can’t believe this happened. Two years ago, lightning struck our house and burned it to the ground. The insurance dragged their feet for nearly a year, covering just one…

In elementary school, Amy sat quietly at the back of the classroom, trying to take up as little space as possible. Her clothes were always the same few outfits, carefully washed but…

Two days before Christmas, I broke every rule I’d ever taught my kids about strangers. On an icy road after a late hospital shift, I stopped for a freezing woman holding a…

At Christmas dinner, my daughter-in-law took the gift I brought for my son, glanced at it, and scoffed, “This? That’s it?” Then she let it slip from her hand and hit the…

My husband and I have our phones on silent until at least 10 a.m. on weekends. So, we’re sleeping. Suddenly I wake up to the sound of my husband pulling on shorts…

I couldn’t reach my wife for over a week. All she left behind was her wedding ring on the bathroom sink and a shaky note on a grocery receipt that said, “Don’t…

Few subjects invite as much quiet contemplation as what happens after d3ath and how the body should be honored at the end of life.As cremation becomes increasingly common for cultural and practical…

When my husband pulled over, opened my door, and told me to get out, I thought it was just another argument spiraling out of control. I didn’t realize I was about to…