by Ofelia Brooks

Read her story Mother Tongue here.

Writing about this topic allowed me to face my fears about mortality head-on. It was cathartic. Allowing me to receive this gift from my grandmother (who I believe planned it all along!) helped me to grieve. For those interested in writing about this topic, my advice is to write the truth. We don’t have to love everything about our aging family members or all aspects of their life or decisions. But if we look deep within, we can find the gifts they left for us.

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Ofelia Brooks is a Black, Latiné, first-generation writer and lawyer. Her recent work appears in Catapult, Cutleaf, Drunk Monkeys, and Podcast Review. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram @ofeliabrooksesq and at ofeliabrooksesq.com.io