The Loved One

The Loved One

The power of handwritten messages I’ve kept a card box for as long as I can remember. The handwritten messages from over the years sit on a shelf in my hall closet and are beginning to burst out of the top. My box has one rule. If some one takes the time to...
The Marlene

The Marlene

As real as real could get Marlene was an original. She was a woman without a filter, as real as real could get. Marlene was not afraid to say what she was thinking. In a world where so many always choose their words with care, you never had to wonder what she was...
The Ann

The Ann

Ann is the matriarch of a large Irish Catholic family and is the epitome of a boss lady. She is 96 years old and born on the feast of Saint Ann, her namesake. She is a fiercely independent woman, full of love and compassion for others. Despite her own hardships, she...
The Jess

The Jess

I didn’t know a soul. Except two women from New Jersey, with the same name. You guessed it, Jess. We exchanged messages and booked the same flights into Firenze. It was comforting to know others crazy enough to pack all of their belongings into two suitcases and...
The Judy

The Judy

Ashley lost her family’s matriarch, Grandma Judy, during the pandemic. The isolation made it harder for those she loved the most to gather and celebrate Judy’s life. Today, on her grandma’s 85th birthday, Ashley wants to share the story of a woman of great strength,...
The Ellen

The Ellen

Ellen was the kind of woman always on an adventure. She didn’t have a preference for the type. Whatever she dreamt up she’d make her best pitch to someone and if they didn’t say yes right away, she’d keep at it until they relented. It was...