Callista Frey

This as-told-to essay was submitted by Walter S. to The Growing Home and edited for length and clarity. I met my wife in Chicago in 1974, in a crowded church basement that smelled like percolated coffee and wet wool coats. Somebody had brought a tray of supermarket cookies. A man near the folding chairs was … Read more

This as-told-to essay was shared by Renee P. with The Growing Home and edited for length and clarity. I used to think love would speak for itself. I live in Oak Park, just outside Chicago and for years my days ran on lists nobody else could see. I knew which kid needed gym shoes by … Read more

This as-told-to essay was submitted by Mara T. to The Growing Home and edited for clarity and length. I grew up in a ranch house outside Columbus, Ohio, where pain had a ranking system. Broken bone, serious. High fever, serious. Everything else, keep moving. If I came in crying after falling off my bike, my … Read more

As told to The Growing Home by Dana R. and edited lightly for length and clarity. I used to spend Saturday mornings in Chicago like I had perfected adult life. I would walk to Trader Joe’s, buy tulips I did not need, grab a latte from Starbucks on Clark and head home to my apartment … Read more

As told to The Growing Home by Marlene C. and edited gently for length and clarity. I turned 75 in January and I still catch myself glancing at old photos the way some people check the weather. I used to keep a small stack of them in a drawer beside my bed in Evanston, just … Read more