For most of my life, the word “too” held great weight. It was the weapon used against me, the chain that held me down, the prison in which I felt trapped, and the sentence I believed I was given for my crimes, for being the person that I am. I’d hear the hushed whispers from the other boys in my class. My face felt flush and warm. The feelings of embarrassment and shame were pumped from every nervous heartbeat to the…
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Jay Stracke
A Mother’s Perspective: Letting Go of Envisioned Futures
Posted on May 10, 2019The sun started to fall below the rooftops of the houses that lined against our own. Crockpots and slow cookers stood together like a row of soldiers atop the kitchen counter, working patiently toward the evening’s meal. I felt my hands trembling as I mustered the courage to speak. The sentence was caught in my throat. My mother was halfway out the back door when it happened.…