How to cope with family

My Papa, Your ears are long. I always think we have the same lobes, fleshy, like ripe peaches. So I must have got them from you. Your eyebrows are busy, bushy and all over the shop but I think someone trims them for you these days – they look a bit tidier. I love how God made your nose. I think it was well-sculpted. He was obviously in a good mood when he made you. I think you would kill me if I did it – but I’d love to clip those stray little hairy tufts poking out of your ears. I wouldn’t dare. It makes me smile though. And it makes me feel your vulnerability just looking at you. Your nails are a bloody mess Papa. Much like my toe nails, must have got that from you too. Is it your psoriasis or a fungal infection? I wouldn’t change them for the world though because I never have a...

Dear Person, I started that out really harshly. I'd like to say I'm sorry for that but, I'm not to be honest. I don't know if you will ever see this. If you will ever understand how much of this I have felt, for such a long time. But I've never had the chance to say some of this, and for once in my life I will find the voice because I need to. So yes, I know you may never see this. But in case you do: I don't remember much of you being home. I was too young, and from what everyone tells me, I may have been better off. When our brother died, you pretended to care. But let's be honest, you were too strung out on drugs to know the difference between high and low. I even remember what you said to me at his funeral...I always will. I know what you put me through, but worse, what you put...

Dear younger cousins, Enjoy being little while you still can. I know you hate it so much, but we’ve all been there. You can’t just skip through the ‘too little to hang with the bigger kids’ phase so just enjoy it. I know that seems horrible and impossible but you will understand why the big kids don’t want you around when you become one. I know that’s hard to imagine but I was the same way. Put down your electronics and go outside. It won’t kill you. My generation grew up playing outside everyday without cell phones and Xboxes so you can put them down for a little while. Besides, you will learn a lot more outside than you will on a gadget. You can’t climb a tree or catch a fish through a cell phone. And where will yelling at a tv screen because you couldn’t beat a level get ya? You don...

You went by many names in your lifetime. Shadow given to you by the old woman who first claimed you (you decided shortly after to cross the neighborhood to our home and stay with us). Mean Jaguar given by my little sister who just couldn’t understand why you were so mad all the time, and Louie by my over-zealous grandmother whom could not fathom why we named you what we named you. Perhaps, some speculate, it was to jab at the preacher who was our neighbor, I however think that Lucifer was very becoming on you. I suppose I should rejoice, after all not many people get to spend 17 years of their life with an animal. I did. In those 17 years, you were quite the tyrant. Any dog within miles quaked at the thought of you. No matter how big the neighbor’s Golden Retriever was and no matter how...