Being Real
By Jody NolandI’m tired of playing charades. Of pretending things are fine when they aren’t. Or of acting like someone different than I really am.
When I was in middle school, my English teacher assigned us the challenge of writing a family history. Seemed reasonable. But not to my mom. She wore a cloak of shame because of our family background. The truth she feared coming out? That my dad’s family was of Polish origin. Gasp!