When I was little, I used to lie outside and reach my hands out to the sky above, convinced I could touch the great moving clouds, if I just extended my arms a little further, I can still remember the way Papa used to speak about her, his voice a mix of reverence and sorrow. He said that Mum was up there, in a place he called heaven, where the sun always shone, and pain no longer existed. But now,...

Death is inescapable, I realize this now as I watch the oak box lower slowly into the ground, as a preacher speaks words that I no longer listen to. My mind slowly drifts back to that night, the sky was dark as ink, and me and her were running silently down the sleepy streets, racing each other like we always do, except this night was different, this night was cruel. A big hulking man came out of ...

“Looks like storms a-coming,” Grandpa chuckled, his eyes glinting with the thrill of the approaching weather as we secured the last corner of the cover on our sailboat. The air was thick with anticipation, and I could almost hear the whispers of the wind warning us to brace for the adventure ahead.

As we carefully loaded our beloved sailboat - The Maria - into the cozy boathouse, I felt a wave of...

"Diamonds are beautiful, but they are also strong."

I stand on my toes, my head bowed slightly, and my hands elegantly form a circle around my torso—an intentional gesture of concentration and poise. I wait in a bubble of anticipation, longing for just one simple word, a word that could shape my entire future in this moment.

“Just like magic!” I suddenly hear, piercing through my thoughts like a...

I always loved the horses, and why wouldn't I? They are as pretty as a sunset on a clear summer day and strong enough to carry Mama, Papa, William, and me in our wagon as we cross the plains of Wisconsin, heading to our new home in Colorado....