Building a Community - with Loretta
- May 23, 2025
- 2 min read
May 5, 2025
Family and community have been heavy in my heart. My heart is very tender when I think of my childhood. Gatherings at my grandparents' house on the Northside of Youngstown, Ohio. Or my Aunt Rose’ house on the Eastside. I ate too many deviled eggs that evening and threw up later.
Deviled eggs to this day are my weakness.
My Uncle Kenny who took us to the movies on Christmas Day, summer trips with Aunt Marcie and the family photographer Uncle Tommy, who engaged me when he learned I loved photography. From sleepovers to bike rides, there are a plethora of warm memories with my family captured in pictures from everyone’s houses.
I cannot express how much my heart aches for my children to have that. That community in family. Not just the fun memories but all the different personalities. My Aunt Florence who cursed freely and chain-smoked, Uncle Keith who took all the boys fishing and made the kids laugh with his duck noises. Those weaving pieces are passed down through the generations. There was a summer I frequented the lake with my nieces and nephew to swim in the next town over. Overtime, I forgot about those things or even how sweet and sentimental they are to me.
Tender is my heart. It’s very bittersweet. I am a little saddened by the lack of close family unit my children have in their lives at this moment. There are no cousins their age that lives close by here in our city of Alabama. Everyone “works.”
May 7, 2025
There were a lot of things I wanted to touch on after ending the last paragraph but none of it feels relevant anymore. Truth is, I did not want to ground myself lingering in negative energies. Instead, I took time to reflect and release. While sometimes it does hurt in areas I wish were different for my kids, it does not mean we are not full of abundance. My children have each other, friends at school and long-distance phone calls through Marco Polo. As my children grow so do their adventures which causes mama to deepen her healing journey. It causes mama to lean closer into God through prayer to keep growing and building. To focus only on what’s in my control and find comfort in what I’m building for us; a community.
Honestly, I think my heart will remain in a tender place as I work through family stuff and what it means to me as I continue to heal and grow.
I always thought you were cool. Your the closest thing to a big sister i ever had. Your my youngest Auntie. I always admired your quick wit and cleverness. I always revered your big heart and sincerity. Your children are blessed to have you as a mother at the peak of your intent. They get a real fully developed considerate focused and devoted Lorretta. They get the whole thing. I am glad and proud of you that they do. I'd say never change if you were not the kind of person that always tries to change for the better. Often for the better of others. Your growth is visible Your love and presence is felt by many miles away. I…