Words are miraculous, tricky things. They slide into us, settle there, and begin to move us before we have decided what they mean. Put the one word beside the right word and you can make a person mistake control for care, obedience for love, silence for peace. Words are programs. A single word can carry an entire culture. It can break you open, build you up, or send your body moving before your mind has caught up. Some words are programmed so deeply into us that they become m

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My very first memory, the decayed brick work upon which I balance the rest of my days, is of tussling with my caramel and chocolate colored pit-bull named Bella, in a dusty, spartan backyard in cookie-cutter housing in southern California. I wish I could stop this memory here, remaining in the playful swirls of silt, with glittering flakes twinkling down in the summer sun, settling on Bella’s fur like a fine, gossamer veil. But I can’t stop it, time won’t wait for me. The mem

I remember hiding under my mothers vanity. So small I could crouch down in the corner, against the wall, behind her trash can, so small I...

Stories to tell our orphans What story do you want tonight kids? ohhhh, in unison, the "Buy Now" button! ok kids, here it goes, a long...

TW: Abuse, animal suffering, neglect I’ve been dreaming a lot about the rabbits lately. My father loved to play cruel jokes. One such...

For us to get through what needs to happen next, our society and we as individuals need to learn how to accept feedback when our behavior...

If I wore full makeup, perfectly styled hair, & a lovely outfit I knew I had a better chance of staying safe. My parents expected me to...

Ok children, ok. Settle down. Well, a long time ago, when we each of us had a kitchen, we could get all kinds of food & make new food by...

One change I've made in my life that made a huge difference was my humor. When I was a kid it was safest to learn fast so I became an...

IF YOUR FAMILY PUSHES YOU AWAY FOR STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE TO BE RIGHT, I’M YA FAMILY NOW. I lost my entire family. You want to...

In my house growing up it was never ok to need anything. You're there to serve not feel. So when I started setting boundaries on what I...

I dragged myself out of familial racism. I was in the middle of some of the worst of it. This is what I learned. Racism is: the inability...

I hope you're willing to make a scene. To be told to calm down. To make another sign when they rip up your last one. I hope you're...

I have an autoimmune disease where my immune system sees my hormones as an allergin - I develop blisters, hives, swelling, lacerations on...

My dad bought me a beautiful MGB convertible mini for my 16th birthday. He wanted the California blonde movie poster daughter. But it...

I'm so sick of people saying that trump supporters are unreachable. GTFOH W that shit. I believe only the abusers who revel in cruelty...