Family Lore

It’s true; I come from a long line of storytellers. Throughout the generations, family legends have been told and retold to the newest members of each family. In turn, once they have families of their own, they, too, share those tales. And like with any narrative, some stories become larger than life, and sometimes we questioned the genuineness of these accounts.

The Poppies are Back

It is a terrible thing to be very young and be facing a family disaster that you barely understand and have no ability to prevent. But this is where I found myself when I was six years old and my four year old sister was dying of a double bacterial infection that the doctors were unable to defeat.

Mama’s Mixtape

It seemed like every time she spoke, I would respond with high-pitched whines, ever-rolling eyes, and yeah whatevers. (It really, really is a miracle that I made it to adulthood!) Worse yet, I would argue the opposite of what she was saying. If my mother stated that the sky was blue, I would claim that it had a tint of red. If she commented that it was cold outside, I would swear that I was hot. And if she yelled, “Turn down that #$&* noise!”, naturally, I cranked up the volume. (Yep, I was THAT kid..)