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...

My father left my hometown of Harrison, Arkansas when I was still a baby and never came back to us, and my mother’s on-again-off-again...

Like some girls do, I used to dream of my marriage. On this day, I imagined myself in a white dress, surrounded by the people I love...

I grew up without a hometown. As the eldest child of an active duty military pilot, much of my childhood was spent moving from state to...

We’d break the rules, then run off and hide in the mango trees until the coast was clear–or so we thought. My mom would wait for us...

Growing up, my parents encouraged me to pursue all the dreams I could think of. I remember my dad’s words that have always stayed...

As with everything in life, we plan ahead, and things appear to be completely fail-safe. But sometimes the unexpected happens, and it...

My father refused to work because he believed if we had too much money, we would be damned, so my mother and I would cut dry wood to sell...

When I accepted myself as a lesbian, I was in my 30s, married to a man for 10 years, and had two children. It was the first time I had...

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...

I’ve always been full of positivity and a little bit of sass. I guess I just love making people laugh. As a kid, I was known for being...

The car was gone, and all our things were destroyed. I stood in front of our rented house and panicked wondering what to do. We didn’t...

If you are wondering what it was like, just picture farmland, connected to more farmland, all serving as the resting place for groups...

I was an only child and that contributed to me being a shy introvert, uncomfortable with people until my teenage years. Despite my social...

After trying to have a child for fifteen years with no success, my parents had grown desperate and immigrated from Britain to the state...

When my mother was pregnant with me, all the family had been expecting a baby girl. Though when the morning came, they were quite shocked...

I’ve been playing in metal bands since I was in high school. From the moment I heard the thunderous fast-paced chug of the melody, I was...

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...