I was a little girl, ten or eleven when my mother took me to her hometown. It’s a little village somewhere in the central region. When we were in a car going, she talked about how wonderful the village was and how she wished I would grow in the village instead of the city. And how she wished I would grow around the people who truly loved me. I was a girl. I didn’t know so much of what goes on in the world so I didn’t understand a lot of things that she was saying. We got to the…
Author: town gist
I was at a place in life where I lived from hand to mouth. I had a job but it was something I got with my SHS certificate. So the money wasn’t much. Everything I earned went into rent, transportation, food, and bills. Sometimes it didn’t even cover all my expenses. I couldn’t count on my family for help because things were hard for them as well. I was basically on my own. I didn’t want to keep living from paycheck to paycheck. So I decided to further my studies and get a degree that would help me get a…
Mara, a Black veteran, went with her friend Lisa to get a meal at a diner in their neighborhood. What she never expected was that she would be treated so rudely and inhumanely—in fact, she was practically thrown out of the diner. If only they had known what she would do to them the next day. Mara had served in Afghanistan, and her service had been one of dust, danger, and a strange sense of belonging. She had been back home for over three years, yet civilian life felt so weird and uncomfortable to her. Unlike the constant hum of…
The Macciantonio family’s life changed forever after their baby daughter met Pope Francis in Philadelphia. A chance encounter led to a miraculous outcome they could never have imagined. Joey and Kristen Macciantonio were born and raised in devout Catholic families. They grew up attending church every Sunday and learning the values of faith, love, and kindness. Their shared faith brought them together, and they fell in love with each other’s devotion to God. They knew from the very beginning that their faith would play a central role in their lives and made a commitment to raise their future family in…
When John saw a nun standing by herself on a dark, lonely road, he was skeptical about giving her a ride because the road was infamous. But John gave in to his kind nature. When the ride was over, the nun expressed her gratitude in a way that John did not expect. You won’t believe how she thanked him. John became a truck driver out of necessity. He had grown up in a home where he lacked parental love, care, and guidance. His father would constantly hit him, and his mom never found the courage to stand up for him.…
Ten years ago, a woman made the life-changing decision to adopt three black children. Little did she know that making this choice would result in the most extraordinary manifestation of gratitude imaginable. Alaya Robinson’s story is one that truly inspires. Her journey began when she entered the world as a baby born to a mother who was addicted to drugs. This led to her being placed in the custody of the state, and she spent much of her youth being shuffled from one foster home to another. Alaya spent the first four years of her life in the foster care…
There had never been such a big police presence in and around this sleepy rural village in Central America, but ex-police dog Zena had shaken things up massively when she would not stop barking at a seemingly random tree. Only when her owner managed to break it open did he realize what Zena had detected inside. He immediately called the police, and they came with every available officer. The first officer that arrived could not believe what he was witnessing. How could it have come to this, hidden in a tree nonetheless? Deep down, he and everybody else at the…
When this man’s wife gave birth to a black baby, he dumped her in the most cruel way. 20 years later, something unbelievable happened. Anna shook in fear as Jeff walked menacingly towards her. She tightened her hold around the baby sleeping peacefully in her arms. Tears streamed down her face as dread filled the pit of her belly. “Who’s the father of that thing?” Jeff bellowed as he drew closer, his eyeballs blazing with fury. For fear of his anger, Anna only whimpered and didn’t utter a thing. “Answer me!” he roared, this time hitting his fists on the…
On a sunny afternoon, Ruth, a confident and vibrant woman, decided to visit an art gallery to appreciate some artworks. Ruth Jackson, an experienced civil rights activist and community leader, was 43 years old. She lived in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Ruth had spent her entire life fighting for equality and justice, deeply entrenched in the historical and cultural tapestry of her neighborhood. Harlem, with its rich heritage and vibrant streets, had always been her refuge and battleground. The streets were bustling with people moving hurriedly, but Ruth walked with tranquility and purpose. She was a tall…
A young woman’s sudden and mysterious death sparks doubt in her sister’s mind and leads her to an investigation to uncover the truth. Maria sat in the front row of the somber funeral, her heart heavy with grief. Her eyes were fixed on the closed coffin that held her beloved sister, Michelle. Tears streamed down her face as she thought about all the things she would miss about her—the sound of her infectious laughter, her quick wit, and her unwavering kindness.As she sat lost in her grief, her mind began to wander back to the Their parents had tragically died…