Category: Family Stories

Kin Types by Luanne Castle

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant6 Comments

Recently, a fellow blogger and an ever-encouraging supporter, Luanne Castle wrote a lovely book of poems about her family.  From the start, Kin Types captured my imagination with the thought-provoking title and the intriguing cover.   It began with sage advice from familial ancestors who have lived a life of hard work and a heartfelt existence that helped those in need. Continue reading “Kin Types by Luanne Castle” →

The Ghost on Lincoln Avenue

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant12 Comments

Laughter behind closed doors sent shivers, and when explored, opened doors would not always close, no matter how hard we pushed on them.

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While living on the small island nestled in the San Francisco Bay, I often overheard bizarre tales of supernatural events that took place in some of the Victorian homes around Alameda.  As a skeptical teenager, I would listen politely but believed such events only transpired in the overactive imagination of the “storyteller,” that is until strange things began happening in my own home. Continue reading “The Ghost on Lincoln Avenue” →

The Haunting of Salem

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant6 Comments
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Photo by Malgorzata Frej on Unsplash

In the cold of winter, a darkness spread through the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The people of this village were haunted by the fears of the unknown. Whispered worries about a force of evil from the realms of hell created a mass hysteria that flowed through the town and caused panic, discord, and even murder, for a civilized people truly believed that witches walked among them, and they believed these spirits came to cause them harm. Continue reading “The Haunting of Salem” →

Our Little Terror

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant14 Comments

Off came the clothes, and over the fence they would fly!

 

Today, David, my younger brother, who left this world last summer, has weighed heavily on my mind.  I miss him so much.  Today, at school, two of my kiddos wanted to spend lunch with me, and the three of us started sharing fun-loving stories about younger siblings.  One of my students started laughing about a sister who would not keep her clothes on when she was a little tyke, and I immediately began to laugh and think about my own little streaker when he was just a boy. Continue reading “Our Little Terror” →

Rest in Peace Grandma Rebecca: When Research Goes Awry

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant10 Comments

My misguided research had me “barking up the wrong tree.”   

Well, it was true; I must admit that I have made mistakes when it comes to my family tree.  In the beginning, when I first started on Ancestry.com, I would just click away, swinging from one family branch to the next.  As my family tree grew, I became zealous and excited.  Stories and histories swirled around in my head as I tried to piece and organize all the family details that I had discovered.  Finally, I knew I had to start writing these stories down, so they would not become lost, and so I would not confuse all the data that my research revealed. Continue reading “Rest in Peace Grandma Rebecca: When Research Goes Awry” →

Anything But Math!

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant8 Comments

I was thrilled to have my degree, but I do remember happily declaring, “No more math!”

Let me just say that math has never truly been my thing. When I was attending a community college, I saved my math courses for last. Since I started college as a late bloomer, I knew I would eventually have to take my math classes if I wanted to transfer to the university with my associate’s degree in hand. Still, I put it off. In my mind, I just figured if I passed everything else, I would just have to put my fears aside and just dive in. That last semester I took algebra and statistics, and I was in math hell. I never worked so hard in all my life! Continue reading “Anything But Math!” →

Uncle Walter

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant6 Comments

As a child one afternoon, I remembered sitting quietly in my grandmother’s living room and listening to her talk to about her family. For many years after her mother died when she was so young, she didn’t have very much information about her family. Since some of the talks were for adults only, my grandmother sent me to another room where, I admit, I eavesdropped their conversation. One name that came up time after time was Uncle Walter. This kind man, who never married, always cared for his many family members and shared his home to all who needed a place to live. Continue reading “Uncle Walter” →

The Unexpected Road Trip: The Ranch ~ July 22

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant15 Comments

While driving along the lane to my granparent’s family home, so many emotions tugged at my heart.  Stories about my family swirled in my head as I slowly approached the old cabin.  Weaving along the dirt road, I wished that my mother were with me, so she could answer the many questions that started to form as I took my first glimpse back into time. Continue reading “The Unexpected Road Trip: The Ranch ~ July 22” →