I’ve blacked a lot of it out. But I do remember that recess was a nightmare for me. My mom told me later that she would sometimes hide in the bushes, and when she saw me sitting by myself, she’d start crying. The diagnosis was ‘selective mutism.’ I’d get so anxious around people that I … Read more
None of us were wanted. But Diamond was born first. So she had it the worst. She was the one who took away our mother’s childhood. And Mom never forgave her for that, so she didn’t let Diamond have a childhood either. She had to take care of all of us. I remember the day … Read more
Early childhood was chaotic; my brother and I endured a lot of abuse. Having one another helped. It was sort of: ‘Hey, at least there’s another human with me.’ We’ve handled our trauma differently over the years. My brother doesn’t trust authority, and he’s been arrested in seven different states. It usually involves some sort … Read more
There’s so much that the world needs to be educated about, especially when it comes to grief. Grief is NOT something to be ignored, dismissed, or minimized. That makes it worse, or makes it resurface in a different way. Grief is something that needs to not only be allowed to happen, but encouraged to happen. … Read more
“My dad said we could do something special for my 6th birthday. ‘Anything you want,’ he told me. I think he thought I was going to say ‘ice cream.’ But I said I wanted to go to New York City, and two weeks later we were on a plane. We spent the morning of my … Read more
July 15, 2019. The text read, “Hey Autumn, are you still interested in foster care? Remember when you said to let you know when I think I have someone that would potentially be a good fit? Well, I think I have someone…” Months prior, I had spoken with a friend at church who worked in … Read more
Time is just the most precious thing. The older you get, I guess the more you realize this. Maybe it’s not even an age thing. Maybe it’s a maturity thing, but none of us really knows for sure exactly how much of it we’re going to be given, and so when you truly grow, you … Read more
I don’t blame the girls. Not at all. I get it, I get it. But I’ve always wanted a wife. And kids. And as I get older it starts to get more real—I’ve never had a girlfriend. I’ve always been the funny fat friend. It’s the one thing I’m good at. Making people laugh. It’s … Read more
It all began when my Grandpa Moe made a wrong turn. He was 93 years old, but he was still driving to and from his butcher shop. And one night he missed his turn in the dark. That’s when I offered to start driving him home. But I think he misunderstood me. Because the next … Read more
In early May of 2021, I was finishing up an errand at the end of my day. Walking down the sidewalk on my usual route, I noticed a little baby squirrel right in the middle of the sidewalk. It was as if he knew I would be there…and he desperately needed to get my attention. … Read more
1. Everybody will never like you, or get you, or want you. That’s okay. We really do have to make our peace with it. 2. Keeping a pure heart is hard, but necessary. Staying soft is a gift, and choosing to love when it would be easier to hate is always the way to go. … Read more
My parents were refugees from Vietnam. And shortly after I was born, my mother got hired as a housekeeper. She couldn’t bear to leave me with a babysitter. So after only three days, she tried to quit. That’s when her employers insisted that she bring me to work instead. Their names were Charles and Kathleen … Read more