Love and marriage. Family life. Long lasting relationships in good times and in the face of trials and tribulations. Deep, abiding affection, adoration and respect, from the heart.

Barry Doyle wore his on his sleeve when he posted this beautiful tribute. We should all be lucky enough to be loved like this by a partner who has the artistry to tell the world in words and pictures. my beautiful bride - bbd. 

 Lea Lane

Lea Lane also found true love ... but lost him, tragically, far too soon. She suffered mightily, grieved his loss, went through all the 'Why Me's.' Then she picked herself up, dusted herself off and made an active, practical, exciting and comfortable solo life for herself. It included travels and adventures, many of which she's shared with us.

Now, ironically (but, yea!) when she wasn't looking and least expected it, she's found someone. Still, this post is a must-read manual for every woman who's loved and lost and needs a guide for the strength to go on.  Why I'm Alone - Lea Lane.

 Karin Rego

Speaking of family trials and tribulations --and of putting yourself out there-- Karin Rego shared her deeply troubling relationship with her teenage daughter, who ran away.

Karin turned to her OS family for help, got all that and more. She thanks us by way of a moving, real life account of the outcome, filled with angst, anger, mother love, life lessons and most of all, hope.  My Daughter and Me: Seeing Eye to Eye Thanks to You - Karin Rego.

  Chicago Guy

Mothers and sons are a different matter.  If you're lucky enough to have a great mom, or smart enough to be one, there will be far less conflict, more bonding, abiding love and respect.

Roger Wright, aka Chicago Guy, wrote a tribute to his mother, by all accounts a remarkable woman. I told him: You are the son most mothers wish they had... and the best ones do. Blessings to her for you and all her other great contributions. This is an outstanding tribute to a clearly outstanding, and loved, woman. May she keep on inspiring you and your family for years to come.  Mom at 80 - Chicago Guy.

 m.a.h

A woman's relationship with her mother is different, maybe loving but almost always fraught with challenge and conflict too, with unspoken disappointment and pain. When we look back on our childhoods, we see the trials our mothers faced and try our best to forgive them.

Maddie, aka m.a.h. shares all that and so much more in a post that literally keeps chills running up and down your spine. I commented, and cannot improve upon it: Oh, this is mesmerizing, stunning writing. ... You have managed an incredible feat. You have told all our stories through your story. With such honesty, openness, pain, pride, depth, compassion, anger, yearning, self-awareness... I have no more words. You used them up.   I HAVE MY MOTHER'S HANDS - m. a.h 

We all view childhood and growing up differently, some through a rosy haze, some with well-deserved rage, others with total confusion because they've had no sense of belonging, of connection, of mirror images. Those of us who grew up knowing our biological birth parents, for good or ill, take it for granted. We can only guess how it feels, deep inside, to be adopted. Yes, adopted children are chosen, but they are also given away.

Denise, aka Verbal Remedy, takes us back to meet the family who chose her, tells us the story of discovering her birth mother and brings us forward to the present in a deeply personal, moving and absorbing journey of adoption and reconnection. A Tale of Two Mothers - Verbal Remedy.

Neil Paul writes with uncompromising honesty and another kind of courage about his desperately unhappy and troubled youth. His words are often literally painful to read, but so compelling you can't turn away.

I said this in my comment on his dark, desolate, helpless childhood memoir: Neil, this is just heartbreaking. Your kindness in the face of what you and your brother endured, your clear love for him and distress over those horrible childhood memories made me weep. It's masterful too, which is your adult "revenge." Your reader is angry and intensely involved in these stark vignettes, right there with you. Wetting the Bed - neilpaul

 Tom Cordle

He is far from a child but his childhood lives within him and peeks out at us when we least expect it. He's a man's man who loves women, truth, music and writing. There's more, but he's so complicated and puts up many walls, even as he shows us there's nothing up his sleeve.

Tom Cordle writes songs that sing through your heart and soul. He rants so intelligently on politics, using historic references with the ease I use adjectives. He's possibly the smartest writer here and maybe that's intimidating to some, but not to me. Here, he teases us by claiming fact is fiction, or vice versa, but he also reveals more than I think he intended. Or not.  Reality Check - Tom Cordle

 Steve Blevins

We have come to know that many who write here from their home computers are suffering from painful illnesses, debilitating conditions, crippling diseases we can't see. Most write matter of factly about their medical issues. some use them to garner sympathy, others hide or just barely reveal them.

Dr. Steve Blevins transcended all that with a sublime recounting of the manner in which he learned he has Parkinson's Disease. Usually a dry, incredibly witty, intelligent writer, his posts suffused with humor both broad and subtle, Steve told this story without pathos but with supreme beauty. Far from asking for pity, he showed us honestly and openly the path to courage and acceptance.  A World No Less Sublime - Steve Blevins

 Mrs. Michaels

Emily (Mrs) Michaels is in a class by herself. She is impossibly young to be a widow and to write with such depth, maturity and outrageous humor. One minute you're laughing out loud, the next, tears are streaming down your face, gut twisted in sympathetic pain.

I'm having a hard time finding a representative piece, so I've chosen two. This one is right up in your face. Or is it?  Miss Havisham's got nothing on me - Mrs. Michaels

This one shows courage almost beyond imagining. And pain. And heart. And, down the line, hope. That's funny. That's so funny. - Mrs. Michaels

And though this post was written at the tail end of 2008, you MUST read it. Please. The Cat watches me for signs of weakness.

 Beth Mann

Beth has such a spot on connection to life's absurdities and such a brilliant way of framing them, she keeps us laughing and agreeing and seeing the world through the perfectly twisted lens of her marvelous wit.

So, I literally forgot Beth's other voice.

The one that hurts your heart. The one that's so open and vulnerable and raw, you almost feel you're intruding. Or reading her diary. Living in her skin, wrapped in her emotions so strongly you ache. Not many people can write that way. I try. Beth succeeds. Here's a prime example, on family, love and loss.  Who's your Daddy, Beth Mann? - Beth Mann