I wish I left at that moment, but I didn’t. I was young, dumb, and in love. It went downhill from that point on...

Despite the façade my dad wore the majority of the time, I’d also seen what was behind the mask. My Grandad used to call him “Jekyll and

There would be many days that I would come home so excited from a great day at work only to be greeted by anger, resentment, and depression.

In the year of my birth, 1952, our desolate Texas prairie lured only the wildcatter oil tycoons from the east coast and the hardworking...

Despite our town’s lack of resources, my father always tried to provide us with the best of every opportunity, and my mother supported him..

...They also showed me the harsh reality of life and death. Knowing that one day we’d be here and the next we’d not always terrified me...

Girls married right out of high school at 18 in my neighborhood, like an unspoken tradition. I thought I’d follow the same path...

Together, they built a family. I had an unusual childhood as my siblings and I were the only mixed-race children in the town...

They say that life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you. In my life—in chasing my dreams, in fighting to provide...

That all changed in the summer of 1941, when the Second World War hit our snowy streets. Slowly, food became a luxury...

Tim Han, my mentor and savior, taught me that “Our mess is our message.” So, I guess I have a big message because my life has sure been a...

I had an eventful and adventure-filled childhood because I was a wild kid. I always found myself in trouble with just about everyone...

I couldn’t focus in school and started flunking my classes. Then, I started hanging out with the wrong crowd, which is where I met Sammy...

I have lived a life of colors, starting with mostly dark shades until I finally reached the bright hues I’m in today...

As innocent eight-year-olds, we didn’t think twice about the fact that I was playing a boy or that two girls were fake married...

Weekends were filled with helping my dad around the house and maybe going to the movies or hanging out with friends one day a week...

Life as a child was one of exploration, advancement, and amazement. I remember movie nights when my older brother, parents, and I...

As a little girl, I observed the life of my mother and vowed to be different. Better. More intentional. I promised myself that I would...

I grew up watching over my shoulder and trying to keep the peace in our home. Though I breathed the air of misfortune, it did not affect...

A life without its own identity is nothing but a shadow. It clings to another and hides from the sun...