Emotions—my mother’s, specifically—ran our household. If Mom was upset, everyone’s emotional state shifted. My sisters and I walked on...

Sadly, every beautiful story is entangled with a monster. The monsters that haunted my life and broke my sweet laughter were violators...

When my father was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2006, I remember an overwhelming feeling of relief. Relief. Who does that?...

It was odd to me how my mother married a man who didn’t seem to understand either one of us. Our passion, empathy, and sensitivity...

Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, or boast, or follow the exact schedule you planned. Love is messy, love is...

Lying in a steaming bath-tub, water lapped against my naked body. The pressure of the clear liquid surrounding me made the bruises on my...

Do you ever reflect on a decision you made and realize it unknowingly changed the direction of your entire life? 1950 was that year...

But that all changed in the middle of my second year when I had a diabetic onset. The onset, itself, wasn’t too traumatic, seeing as how...

Quirky and awkward. That’s how most people saw me in middle school and high school. I was the big kid with clumsiness in his DNA...

While many women in their 20s were enjoying college life, my mom was trying to keep up with her classes and work two jobs all while she...

My grandma remembers coming over and noticing how pale and sickly I looked as a baby. She would ask my mom, “Aren’t you going to feed her...

When people look at me, they see a happy woman, slow to take and quick to give. What they don’t know is the harsh truth under this smile...

Most of my fond memories were spending time with my parents and two younger siblings: putting up the Christmas tree together; enjoying...

I grew up in a very close-knit family in Kisumu, Kenya. We were like a big team because we knew we could always rely on each other...

Though the city was tinged with gang violence, I roamed the neighborhoods without fear; a free-spirited soul I was. After playing outside...

Loud voices painted the walls of my family’s house in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We shared laughter and home-cooked meals at our large...

Remember that episode of The Simpsons when Bart divorces his parents? He moves into a wicked loft-style apartment with what little...

It’s a late night under an inky sky as I walk across campus from the theatre back to my apartment. The chilly night air rustles past me...

We were a short 10-minute drive away from the bustling capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Our backyard opened to lush green jungle that...

As the youngest and only girl in my family, I was spoiled a lot and had tons of fun when I was little. I remember coming down the stairs...