Please help me welcome Stephanie Musarra to #BeReal as she shares with us her experience with homelessness. It is easy to make assumptions about someone who is homeless because let’s face it… many of us have never been there. We tend to believe this is a problem we will never be faced with. But I…
I don’t remember the first time I thought, “man I wish I could be more…”. More classy, more beautiful, more funny, more smart, more stable, more serious. I’ve lost count of how often I wished I was less messy, less emotional, less sad, less weak, less random, less awkward. Seems I’m constantly wishing I had…
I got lost. One moment I was speed typing my thoughts across the page. My thoughts racing so fast I could barely keep up. I’d slap a corresponding picture up, type in a few tags and hit publish. Not once a day but several times a day. The next moment, two years later or maybe…
Dear daughter: You my love Are a woman And that means You will be told things Some will be true And many more will not The only thing You must do Is to find yourself Who are you? What you stand for? And know you are strong That you have options And when you don’t You get creative…
Please welcome Don Ortolano to #BeREALationships. Where did this relationship between brothers start? Well, actually, it started before my younger brother, Robert, was even born. I recall the day well, even though it is in many ways, an eternity ago. It was one of those beautiful, cool sunny days in New York and I was…
Please welcome Jennifer Ortolano to #BeREALationships. I have always had issues with feeling good enough, feeling worthy enough, and well, just feeling enough. It is important to note that none of my issues stems from my childhood. My childhood was as close to perfect as one could get. You see, I believe I was born…
Time. We manipulate it somehow. The world does. Or society does with our schedules and our routines. Our calendars and the way we mark off the years. The way we pencil in meetings and make plans that we either rush towards or cancel. Time. It is the one constant. A rigid passing that we can…
Please welcome Annah Elizabeth to #BeREALationships. What do you think people see when they see your image? This answer will roll from my keyboard and onto the screen like melted butter down your chin. Smart…got it all together…successful business…leader…mentor…teacher…compassionate friend…justice seeker…student advocate…sweet…nurturing…devoted mother…Mama Bear… Perfect family… These are not my words, but a few descriptors…
Please welcome Heather LeRoss to #BeREALationships. I wrote this poem last year to a woman who had been like a sister to me, near the 1 year anniversary of her death. We’d been like family but had lost touch in recent years because, well, life I think. She was struggling and unhappy and I was…
HASTYWORDS 