I was 13 years old, just starting off high school, when I realized what this dark cloud that’s been floating over me for the past couple of months really is. It wouldn’t be until more than a year later until I seek out professional help. It started off innocently enough as just a feeling of constant emptiness at the pit of my stomach. It slowly turned into randoms bouts of extreme rage, where I’d take out my anger physically, not just on the walls and mirrors of my childhood home and not just on my family, but on myself. I couldn’t understand why I felt this way, why I wasn’t “normal”.…
The flicker of a lamp powered by a dimly lit lightbulb flashed in intervals onto the cracked concrete path. Scattered shrub shavings, dried pine needles, and petrified insects encrusted the crevices left in between the cement squares. The long and narrow path led up to a strong yet aged wooden door that stood at the foot of the house. The house held nine people, three cats, and many tribulations to come. At first glance the house might’ve seemed ordinary; it had five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry room, living room, kitchen etc.…
Picture life's ultimate teacher. A strong and compassionate man is what I envision. To me that man is my Grandpa. He taught me how to do every day tasks. He also taught me skills that might not seem necessary but, can come in handy if needed.…
I glanced around to see children running around the park swinging and sliding on the playground equipment. Their mothers walked around the concrete track, which circled the park. As I kept looking around I saw a church across the street. The parking lot was deserted, only occupied by a few leaves that danced across the lot. A garden in front of the building gave me a home-like feeling.…
Throughout my life, I have been the victim of several burglaries. At the age of seven, someone, in broad daylight, broke into our house and shot my dad in the chin. I was displaced to my aunt's house for weeks and missed most of my 1st grade year. When I was seventeen, I walked in on my home being robbed by some local kids. They were upstairs when I came into the house and escaped through a window, but the idea that I could have come home earlier still haunts me.…
The home resembled a gothic Victorian home. It was well kept and had a beautiful garden. The sun was up high and my father decided to hide in the bushes just for as long as he could at least they would rest until they could travel again. My father needed help and he didn’t want to admit it to my already scared brother. After a few hours his life changed it was the moment he met my mother.…
In early August of 2012, my dad and I decided to visit my Grandpa and Grandma Hurt in Florida. We hadn’t seen them in a couple years and it was time to spend quality time with them because time goes quickly, and you never know what could happen. The car ride seemed forever, but I was so excited to go to Florida. The car ride was almost unbearable to sit hour after hour. The only peculiar thought about this trip, is that my grandpa was sick, and the doctors did not know what exactly was wrong.…
I couldn’t believe that I was stuck in boring old Pulaski, Virginia. What a perfect place to run out of gas on the annual trip from West Virginia to Florida. I had assumed that I would just lay out at the local all night pub. But as soon I entered the establishment, an old man greeted me at the door and he blocked my entrance. He said he wanted a chance to tell an outsider about the story of his great grandfather, Jack Jackson.…
I felt as if I was watching a live WWE wrestling match up close and in person. My sister won of course, but she was exiled out of Briana’s house and was never to return again. There are so many things you could experience from a closet, but the world will never know the delight…
As a young teenage boy, a highlight of my summer occurred at great-grandma's cabin. We called it such because great-grandpa long ago passed away, and only great-grandma was left. Going to great-grandma's cabin was commonly referred to as "going up North." Most referred to any trip away from the cities in Minnesota as going up North. Up North existed a plethora of lakes offering endless activities of summer fun.…
The crisp breeze rustled my hair as I walked out of my house on the fall September day with my dad drilling instructions into my head. It was my first Little League baseball game ever, and my dad wanted to make sure it wasn’t my last. Being seven years old and never touching a baseball was something that had scared me; a lot. I had no idea what to think about this foreign, petrifying, game could possibly be about. The car ride from my house was only a few minutes away from the fields where I would begin my baseball career.…
Now when I look at the photo I imagine a quiet, peaceful town that is coming down from an eventful day. Everything is at peace and okay in the world. Now when I look at this photo I feel of sense of peace come over me because I remind myself that no matter what has happened throughout the day everything will be okay. I imagine myself lying on my Aunt’s couch, my aunts and cousins slowly waking from their own night of sleep. The smell of my aunt making breakfast and the smell of sunscreen because we would always get ready to go to the pool while she was making breakfast.…
When I was in 3rd grade, the only woman who had ever taken care of me passed away due to cancer. My Grandma took care of my mother and I from the time I was born and continued to care for me after my mom moved away. Our lives weren't very luxurious. She worked at Polk Community College as their lunch lady and I never had much; including my own bed. Still, I was never unhappy.…
When I was in the sixth grade my maternal grandfather was diagnosed Multiple Myeloma. I didn’t know much about what it was but I knew it was bad. It was cancer and as I sixth grader I knew that cancer was a scary word typically used to describe some sort of disease that would later turn fatal. My grandfather wasn’t given a sentence, none of us were sat down by the doctor and told we sound be preparing our goodbyes, we were told that the cancer wouldn’t kill him and to go on living a normal life.…
There were only a few houses down the street, all discolored and old. None of my friends lived near me growing up. My neighbor just across the street, though, truly became the friend I never…