Mancunian

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erasable

Hull, UK

This is so well written that words escape me. This is brilliant, but heart-wrenching at the same time.

Sometimes I read a story that I find emotional, sometimes a story brings a tear to my eye, sometimes a story chokes me up a little and may make the hairs on my neck or arms stand on end. This one did all of those things not just because there was a lot of sadness in the story, it shows the impact of the ripple effect caused by suicide on many others, but because it brought together people who loved and lost with the hope of peace and a future.

Beautifully written from the perspective of a young child. This is a story that shows no matter how 'grownup' we are we can still learn, in this case from the pure sweet innocence and simplicity of a child's mind. Wisdom doesn't always come from age, the parents show that, sometimes it comes from the mouth of a child, as it does in this case. Love is not a sin, neither is who you love.

I hate to admit it but the same appears to be true here in the UK, and both of our major political parties have had their own issues.

I'm horrified at the thought that a teacher could really put kids through that, and telling them that Jews killed Christmas is more than disgusting, it amounts to trying to teach hate. I'm happy that the teacher in question was fired, they should also have been prosecuted and banned from working with children for life.

You mean they are going to be normal typical kids growing up, not spoiled brats. I'll bet CJ and Ozzie will love it and value them as they should.

What a great way to start Friday, reading another chapter about CJ and the family. I love the way the kids are turning out, especially Liebe she's delightful.

This is definitely going on my reading list, the trouble is my reading list is getting that long I may have a problem finding time to write, lol.

Very nicely written capturing the atmosphere of what can only be described as a solemn but joyous occasion at Holyrood. I hope this gives the family some peace and assistance during what is still a time of grief.

“If you had a choice what would you do?” Jacob asked. “I'd stay in school and study but I can't, it's expensive to become a doctor. Maybe one day I can try again.” He felt Jacob's arms loosen and glanced at Joseph before looking up to meet Jacob's eyes. “Joseph is very lucky to have you all as family and friends, I hope he knows how lucky he is. He told me he is going to England to live with Ian and Kevin and be their brother, I'll... I'll miss him, in the short time I've known him I feel,

Love it, this isn't just a chapter to a story it's almost like a tour guide, this is just one of many reasons why I love stories written by @Carlos Hazday

I've been reading through a great many of the older stories and found many truly great stories that I've enjoyed, some of which have no reactions, comments or reviews. Don't let the lack of comments or reviews put you off or you may miss something that you like. I've left reactions, comments and reviews for those that appealed to me. Requiem is one of those stories that stands the test of time and is still very relevant today, there are many others too. The way I look for older stories to read from the archive is to simply filter for complete stories and go to the oldest first, there are other filters you can apply if you want to. I would recommend that members look to the archives for some great stories that will increase reading pleasure.

Thanks for commenting Larry. Unfortunately I've been a bit sidetracked by a few things lately, but now I'm getting back on track, the next chapter will be posted in the next week or maybe sooner. I'm sorry there has been a delay between chapters.

I'm surprised that this has not received a review, well it is now. Well written and heart wrenching, it brought tears to my eyes. This is still just as valid today as the day it was written, if you read it I'm sure you will agree.

I read this nine years after it was posted and it choked me up, not just because it is well written and heart wrenching piece of work, which it is in spades, but also because it is still so valid today. Thank you for posting this.

A very good story of insecurity, passion, violence, re-emergence and love in it's different forms. A compelling read describing scenes in a way that draws you in and leaves you wanting more. This is a recommended read that I will come back to and read again, it deserves the five star rating I've given.

He's gotten like Stan Lee who has a cameo appearance in the Marvel Films, he wants his five minutes of fame lol 🤣🤣🤣

This is a fantastic eclectic collection of stories with a common theme, but different genres and styles from authors and their teams. If you haven't started reading them, or have stories yet to read you are in for a real treat. Where else can you get such variety and quality? This has to be the best anthology collection to date.

I knew this was going to be fun. You gotta love Liebe for being a more decent person than the school principle and a bully who deserved a few flying roundhouse kicks and throws more than he got, lol. (I'm not really violent) Thanks Carlos for a great opening chapter.

This looks like it's going to be a fun cruise, this is the 'Abello-Davenport' family so it's got to include a lot of fun. Maybe the Captain will have her hands full with mixed attitudes among the crew, so I hope she's on the ball with them. The crew look like they will be more of handful than the passengers.

In general I think I'm managing okay these days, obviously there are some where I slip a little then recover, I think it's like that for the majority of us who have experienced a significant loss. I think this year it just hit a bit more, partly because of the theme for the current anthology being anniversary, partly because some of the stories are ones about dealing with loss. My annual 'visits' are always on the anniversary of my father's passing as he is the last of them to die and it is not unusual for me to shed a few tears when I do. The timing of reading Headstall's comment reply after returning home caught me when I was feeling emotional, but then the whole irony of the anthology theme being anniversary, some of the stories that have been included (I have read them all) especially my own hit me. It may sound strange but I know the irony of it would have appealed to my father's sense of humour and it caused me to laugh, to be honest it made me laugh so much my stomach hurt. Afterwards I felt calm and at peace, and still do. The timing of the current anthology theme and some of the stories included are purely coincidental, like I said the irony of it hit me and I saw a comical side to it, maybe I'm weird maybe I'm not but the irony of it made me laugh. Do I still feel the pain? Yes I do but it gets easier to bare with the passing of time and I've learned that it is okay to live and laugh.

The title of this blog asks the question, but you will probably ask what pain am I talking about. I'm talking about the pain of loss and grief, losing someone who is close and means a great deal to you. It doesn't matter who you are, in time it is something that we all experience. Many of us have already experienced it, some of us are yet to experience it, it is not something any of us can escape. You may ask what is the significance of this blog, why bring this up now? Well I'll tell you and to be honest it's the irony of the significance of today for me. Four years ago today my father, passed away, he was in a coma following a stroke. My brother, sisters and I had to make the difficult decision to have his life support discontinued. He was a member of GA known as cognac69, he had only been a member for a short period of time and made some friends on GA, he believed he had longer to live and introduced me to the site. When he died it hit me hard and I didn't handle it very well, what had been minor mental health issues became magnified. It still surprises me how many people told me 'everything will be okay, you will get over it'. WTF, are some people for real, losing someone you love is not something you 'get over', you 'get over' a broken leg, you 'get over a cold'. You do not 'get over' losing parent or anyone else that you hold dear in your heart. The best that happens is that you become accustomed to the pain, you learn to deal with it without it holding you back - others may describe it differently, there is no right or wrong way to describe it - It takes time and there is no prescribed time as it is different for each of us. When I woke up this morning my heart felt heavy, no surprise considering the day, after a coffee and what little I could manage to eat I got on with the usual tasks at home tidying up. The weather has been dull and it has been raining most of the day, it has mirrored my mood. My father was cremated and his ashes were scattered on the graves of his parents and brother, so as usual on this day every year I went there to visit with them for a couple of hours, then I went to visit my mothers grave and sat there for a while. I remembered the good times and yes I did cry, I'm not ashamed to admit it. I miss both of my parents, even after they divorced they both remained in my life and they were friends. I miss my grandfather and remember him fondly with love. I can't say that I miss my grandmother, she died when I was of an age that don't remember her, but I do miss never having the opportunity to know her. I can't say that I miss my father's brother - my uncle - I never had the opportunity to know him as he died when and my father were sixteen years old. I know my father missed him, he always said that when Colin died a part of him died too. Anyway when my day at the cemetery ended I got back into my car and drove home, needless to say I was drenched from the rain and feeling somewhat morose. Arriving home I dried myself off and got into some dry warm clothes, made a coffee and decided to check GA, I'm always logged in even when I'm not actually on the site. There was a lot of notifications about stories that are in the last batch of the current anthology. Naturally I began to click on each notification, I clicked on one that was a reply to a chapter comment I'd left on one of the stories. When I read it the second sentence - "I took you on a sentimental journey, didn't I?" - struck me, at first I started to cry but then the crying turned to laughter and it felt quite cathartic. It struck me that today is the anniversary of my father passing and the anthology theme is 'Anniversary'. The stories have been a mixed bag of genres and interpretations of the theme, some have been happy anniversaries, and some not so happy, some are about the passing of loved ones. Even my own entry had been about the passing of a couple, it featured a car inspired by my fathers first car and conversations with him and some of his friends when they were alive. Maybe I'm warped in the head, I don't know, but I found the coincidences ironic and it made me laugh, I know that if my father could could have seen me laughing this afternoon, he would have laughed too at the irony of it. That brings me back to the question in the title of this blog, does the pain ever go away? Everybody's answer may be different but I've found my answer, no it doesn't it just becomes easier to bare, todays events and the current anthology stories have taught me that.