The Stolen Child
| This is the 453rd story of Our Life Logs | “We have to move, baby,” my mom’s voice was tense. “Get packing.” I did as I was told; it was routine. I would say it went quickly because we had done it so many times before, but the truth is you can pack quick when you don’t have anything to pack. My mother would go to … Continue reading The Stolen Child
The Great Betrayal
| This is the 452nd story of Our Life Logs | For as long as I can remember, it was always a constant battle for survival. I was born in 1987 in Jamaica. Growing up in a single-parent home with three siblings was no joke. Four kids with three different last names and only one parent to care for us; hunger was our close friend as my … Continue reading The Great Betrayal
Do Not Lose Heart
| This is the 451st story of Our Life Logs | I was born in 1988 to a poor family. We lived in a small town in Utter Pradesh, India, where my father was a poor shopkeeper with little earnings to feed, clothe, and provide for my mother, my four siblings, and me. I remember when our budget was at its tightest. Because we didn’t have the … Continue reading Do Not Lose Heart
Soon I Will Dream
| This is the 450th story of Our Life Logs | My name is Shazia Hakeem and I was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 2004, which makes me 15 years old as I tell you my story. People say I am smart for my age. I say the circumstances made me this way. I probably grew up too soon. My childhood was a distressing one because we … Continue reading Soon I Will Dream
Behind Every Dark Cloud
| This is the 449th story of Our Life Logs | I grew up in the rural area of West Africa. I was born in June 1980 in Ogun, Nigeria, as the fourth of six children in our family. My father was a police officer, and my mother ran a small shop. My life started out normal, just like that of any other young boy in our … Continue reading Behind Every Dark Cloud
At the Start of My Journey
| This is the 448th story of Our Life Logs | Growing up in Ozone Park in the New York borough of Queens in the 1980s was not easy for me. My childhood was not sweet, to say the least. Instead of love and security, it was filled with mockery and humiliation. I mean, my parents gave us kids—my twin sister, older brother, and me—basic things like … Continue reading At the Start of My Journey
Whispers of the Heart
| This is the 447th story of Our Life Logs | My story began before I was even born, when the traditional values of the Pakistani culture sunk into the hearts and minds of my parents—separately, of course. They didn’t get married until sometime in the 1970s. But each grew up in Pakistan, and each moved to London in the 60s, and each was suited to one … Continue reading Whispers of the Heart
A Promise Worth Keeping
| This is the 446th story of Our Life Logs | I was born with a rare genetic disorder that wasn’t properly diagnosed until I was two years old. The doctors discovered I was suffering from scoliosis kyphosis. I could walk, but I had a very prominent rib hump that made sitting in a chair nearly impossible. My life has been a mixture of blessings and curses depending … Continue reading A Promise Worth Keeping
A Light at the End of the Tunnel
| This is the 445th story of Our Life Logs | I was born in 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria, a sparsely over-populated city with a mix of lifestyles and cultures. It was like the America of Nigeria, hence the popular saying, “No one in Lagos is from Lagos.” In my early childhood, we lived in a ghetto in Lagos called Okokomaiko, full of rain-washed fading walls and … Continue reading A Light at the End of the Tunnel
You Can Fly If You Want To
| This is the 444th story of Our Life Logs | I guess it all started when my father got his big break. During his rookie years, the law firm he was working for had been given the chance to represent a business tycoon. My father was entrusted to be a part of the team leading the case. It was supposed to serve as a learning experience … Continue reading You Can Fly If You Want To
Broken Shackles
| This is the 443rd story of Our Life Logs | It often feels like an unbearable privilege to write and make a simple living from taking all those wonderful and horrible patterns of my past by turning them into something new and strong. Sometimes I want to hang up writing stories about me because I can’t bear the idea that it may one day run or … Continue reading Broken Shackles
Yes, I Do
| This is the 442nd story of Our Life Logs | My dear, If you are set free, Then I’ll grab the moon And we’ll split it. But if the earth continues its grand pirouette And the stars do not align, I will smile and know that in those letters I was the center of your universe. -C.W. I was born in 1981 in Southwest France. I … Continue reading Yes, I Do