Hello
I’m going to name my blog PlainWhiteFlour because I would like for the stories to evolve into a mini series. The goals of the blog are to use the simplicity of words to tell realistically complex stories.
I will start with the word fret. My second word is going be compromise, and the third word is complacent. There are so many other words associated with these stories including love, hate, conflict, joy, pain, gain. Loss, wonder, influence, and most importantly time. What a word!! I will stop here so that I won’t get ahead of myself.
It was late Thursday night after Christmas and I was wondering about Teresa, the youngest of six. She had just been released 3 weeks ago. Everyone was giving her a lot of support but she had to try and manage on her own. The management of day to day life was such a monumental challenge for her, in addition to her responsibilities to maintain her programs. When I saw her last , she looked frail and beaten. Her skin was ashen, and her arms-skin and bones. Her stubborn chin and dark piercing eyes still showed a glimpse of fire, a glimmer of fight. I prayed that it would be just the spark necessary to keep her motivated, to make her want something different. But, she looked tired. Maybe a couple of nights sleep in her own bed and some nutritious food will restore her and help sustain her. Ordinarily, I would say yes, she has a great chance, with all the support and opportunities. But out here, there was one more reality that she had to face. One that rocked the strongest of us all, and when Teresa heard the news, it would put her in a whirlwind and she would be like a twig trying to withstand a hurricane. Mama was gone. Nothing could prepare her for such an unexpected turn of events. No one can could make her believe a truth that she never fathom could exist. A truth that the only person in this world who cared, who truly loved you unconditionally, is no longer living on this earth. Has perished and have gone on to be with The Lord. How will she manage now? What will she do? How can I help her? Will her husband be enough to get her through? “Don’t fret,” Mama would say. “fret,” a middle English word that is used as a verb that means to feel or express worry, annoyance, or discontent. It emerged after 900, however, it emerged as a noun around the 1300’s and it means an interlaced, angular design with a border.
Born Carol Yevette Berry on January 25, 1941 to Wallace and Letha Berry in Winston Salem North Carolina during the time where southerners still migrated north in search of a better life. A time where mama found herself in tow with her parents in route “up North,” to one of the northernmost southern states in the U. S. , Maryland. Yes, the Baltimore Country Club was hiring kitchen help, and grandma and grandad found work.
Mama was an only child. A victim of a dysfunctional family, a child who witnessed abuse. A child who was abused. Abuse, there’s a word for you.
Wikipedia says it’s ” The improper usage or treatment for a bad purpose.” I wonder what that word means to Teresa and how far the cycle reaches. At least two generations for sure. I also wonder how many people have suffered because of all of the secrets that have
Held. “secret,” I believe that’s the most powerful word on the planet. Even more powerful than love, hate, or money. Secrets are silent destroyers even though the entomology of the word tells us that secret means kept from knowledge or view or set apart. It is a late. 19th century word with Latin origins. It can be used as a verb, a noun, or an adjective. The secrets thAt have been kept and concealed by Teresa I believe are nouns and adjectives.
The things that has happened to her and the description of how she has really felt as a result. She probably knows the secret surrounding our brothers’s death. It has never been discussed as a family, yet it has been discussed a lot lately and there are some strong suspicions that our family members know more than what the police know. More family secrets, it has become a generational tradition.
plainwhiteflour 