The most fun I ever had was during my childhood in China, on the island where I was born and grew up. We watched the sunrise on the beach while waiting for the tide to go out. Then, we dug for clams and competed to see who could dig up the most. When the tide …
Tag: Family Health Centers at NYU Langone
Mom
Dear Mom, I know you are a traditional woman. You take care of the family and give me advice. I remember when I was young, we had a difficult life. We were poor, and you had several jobs, but there wasn’t enough money to pay my high school tuition fee. I told you I wanted …
It Matters
You have allowed me to express myself creatively, to be excited about something that’s been meaningful to me all my life. I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating whether or not I was passionate about you anymore. I invested a lot of time in you as a child. Everyone saw the joy and happiness you …
Different Times
I never thought it would be a luxury to take the children to parks, zoos, and museums. But one day it happened. Since the pandemic started, we hadn’t been to any such places. We all longed for the spring of 2019.
A Funny Family Story
Mother told us how it was in 1969. She and Dad were raising three children in Jamaica. Dad sometimes traveled to the United States as a farm worker. We lived in a tenement yard. A lot of families lived in a big yard in different houses, but they all used the same toilet and kitchen.
Life Is Beautiful
I was born in 1993 in Pakistan. I opened my eyes in a family that was rich with love. I had three sisters and one brother. I remember that there was enough food. Our hearts were big, and we gave to others; big and small colorful clothes were all over the house.
A Sad Love Story
* After all these years, after all that had happened, today was the beginning of the end. They had not slept the entire night. He tried to change her mind, but she looked convinced and firm about what she wanted. No words and no memories could change her anger: anger with life, anger with the …
Surrender
Dear God,
You have not forgotten, nor will you ever forget,
when I lost a part of myself long ago.
I have divided and perished into the waves of darkness.
Poop
It’s the night before the big day. I put my pencil in the sharpener and give it a good twist. Two freshly sharpened pencils for the test. I toss them in my backpack, as I prepare for the following day. I set my alarm for 7 a.m. I turn on my Fire Stick and watch a couple of TASC practice-for-math videos, until I doze off.
Shoes
When I was younger, my father and mother had to leave me and my sister in the care of my grandmother in Mexico, where we were born and raised. My parents left for the United States. My dad worked hard to try to get us to live with them. I used to believe the mountains I saw from my grandmother’s house were New York, where my parents were. They seemed close, but now I know that was far.
Scars of Hope
If I could sit face-to-face with my younger self, I would hold her tight and tell her, “You’re wonderful!” I would give her a hug that runs through her entire bloodstream and thus awakens each absent-minded neuron, each sad hormone, and each organ silenced due to stress.
Fears
I have some fears of my own.
About them, they are unknown.
The shadows of those fears
Are always around.
The Virus of 2020
Covid-19 is a virus that has put the whole world into a state of panic, leading to the deterioration of the economy. Some people lost their jobs, and their debts increased. Others lost their lives, and some lost a person dear to them.
The Journey
Dear Mom,
I miss you so badly. I haven’t forgotten you, and I hope you can hear me. I remember it clearly, the day you slipped away. I didn’t get to kiss you goodbye on the hand. I wish that I could see you again, but I know that I can’t.
Scars
I like to think about the scars on both the outside and inside of my body as tattoos—but with a better story. They may not be made out of ink, but they are made of something even greater: flesh and emotions. The scars on my body always show me that I have lived, but the scars on my heart show me that I have loved.