sibling bond

The Girl Left Behind – When Are We Going Home?

I don’t have many concrete memories from that day. There are no photographs or home movies to fill in the missing pieces. What remains are fragments—voices, expressions, nervous energy, and feelings that are difficult to put into words even now.

Everything felt surreal. I remember being anxious for George and me. I remember knowing that something terrible had happened without understanding what was going to happen to us next. No child should have to experience that kind of uncertainty.

“When are we going home?” I asked in my small voice.

No one answered.

“Would you like to stay here with us?” Aunt Connie asked. “Would you like to go to school here?”

Again, I didn’t answer. My father stood […]

The Girl Left Behind – Before I Knew to Be Afraid

In one of my earliest memories, my mother scoops me into her arms and sets me on the bare back of her favorite horse. I am about three years old, and from up there, it feels as though I am a mile off the ground.

I grab a fistful of the horse’s mane to steady myself.

I love the feeling immediately—the height, the warmth of the animal beneath me, the sense that I am somewhere I belong.

I don’t get to stay there long. My father is worried I’ll fall and scolds my mother for putting me in danger.

My first horseback ride is brief, but something about it stays with me. From then on, I am fascinated by […]