Inviting others to help you balance grief and joy — “Given a choice between grief and nothing, I’d choose grief.” — William Faulkner One of my work friends, Alamada, is getting ready to have her first great-grandbaby. She is throwing a shower for her granddaughter. The shower is unusual, as it is a Rainbow baby shower. …

I have followed his wise advice. — My grandfather always said that living is like licking honey off a thorn. – Louis Adamic My Grandfather Magic was a professional grifter. A sharp-dressed handsome man, he made his living cheating people. He talked fast but with an educated Southern lilt — people who judged his book by its…

Race is the issue — “Friendship is like a glass ornament, once it is broken it can rarely be put back together exactly the same way.” -Charles Kingsley I am not friendly. I do not make friends easily, so every real friend I have is precious to me. I recently lost a friend. Making An Adult Friend I am…

These boys are big ballers — “Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and affection, they draw the conclusion that they…

These are words that make me spend my money — “Aren’t we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa.” — Bart Simpson I am the cool auntie of many nieces and nephews. I am unflappable because I lived such a scandalous young life at their age that nothing they do shocks me. I know for…

Conflict Love Poetry — Let me love you, she said He said Life is tricky, she said He said No, I don’t want to, he said She said You are a cheater, he said She said I would give my life for you, she said He said Why didn’t you? she said The idea…

Consider this song an early Christmas gift — Growing up, if my mom liked a particular song, she would play it over and over all day and night. Lenny Williams was one of the first artists my mom and I both loved. I was a young woman in my late twenties, and my mom was ill. …

Another quick smile by Toni Crowe — I always keep my eyes open for stories from my hometown, Chicago. I do this because people from Chicago do stuff. I came across a story of a 104-year-old woman who earned the Guinness Book of World Records acknowledgment for being the oldest skydiver. That is definitely something a person…

The New Medium Friend Program — Someone was smoking something when they devised this new compensation scheme. I need some of whatever it was to activate the kindness in my heart because I do not understand precisely what is in it for me as a writer on this platform. I consider myself a decent person willing…