Grandma Veola
When telling stories, I often say my grandmother did this or my grandmother said this. In actuality, she isn’t my grandmother. She, Veola Parker, is my great-grandmother. My grandmother was murdered...
View ArticleVeola Parker
I just received the call that my great grandmother has passed away. VEOLA PARKER September 25, 1925 to August 9, 2009 My own mother is named after her. Her health had been slowly declining but after my...
View ArticleVeola Parker: Honoring our Ancestors
Exactly one year ago my grand mother passed into a new form of life. I have found it challenging to write about her and to even think about her. I had to channel my emotions into a little box. Bottle...
View ArticleSouthern Stories & Nameless Roots ~ Happy Birthday Grandma
I will always remember that I am a black woman when I remember my (great) grandmother. I wonder if subconsciously that aided in the distance I sometimes put between us. My heart hurt when she told me...
View ArticleWith the Loss of…
Originally written August 9th. I want the page to stay blank. There are no words for this. For this grief. Maybe like the eskimos, in another place they have 1000 words for grief. Because its different...
View ArticleHoping for a Year of Magical Living
I’m going to need 2011 to be death proof for me. I really need ONE YEAR where no one close to me dies. Seriously, I just need one year. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. I’d more so like a Year of...
View ArticleDear Grandma, I miss your Tea Cakes.
VEOLA PARKER September 25, 1925 to August 9, 2009 I hail from a lineage that surpassed my understanding of time. My roots are nameless. I can’t chant your African songs. I only know the southern cries...
View ArticleHappy Birthday Grandma
VEOLA PARKER September 22, 1925 to August 9, 2009 I hail from a lineage that surpassed my understanding of time. My roots are nameless. I can’t chant your African songs. I only know the southern cries...
View ArticleMy Full Expression of Grief
On December 23, 2010, I wrote “Hoping for a Year of Magical Living.” An excerpt. “I’m going to need 2011 to be death proof for me. I really need ONE YEAR where no one close to me dies. I’d more so like...
View ArticleThe Three Lords of Materialism – This New Process of Grief
Originally written in January 2015 Last Friday, I was sitting in a random noodle shop with the owner of an adventure tour company. We had both left a networking event way too early because they only...
View ArticleThe Three Lords of Materialism – This New Process of Grief
Originally written in January 2015 Last Friday, I was sitting in a random noodle shop with the owner of an adventure tour company. We had both left a networking event way too early because they only...
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