After the accident that took my husband and son, someone in church informed me that I was being punished for my friendship with members of the LGBTQ community (although she wasn’t quite so polite in terminology). I never went back to that church, even though my mother and her friends made things so uncomfortable that the woman eventually left, too.

So many things he said to me in the span of a few days. They were heartbreakingly cruel. No need to list them, they continually eat at my heart the way it is.

‘How come no one likes you?’ I realise now that it was something I needed to hear, I wasn’t a very nice person. At the time it was horrid to hear.

“God has a plan” after my dad died.

I love you.

Its bad luck to speak ill of the dead. We'll just leave that in the past where it belongs.

“Everything will be yours…”

Yeah, I suppose so. Except for the second will that named me to receive nothing even when everyone else was dead.

Parental parting shot. Nice stuff.

“ You are not a forever friend”.

Late for dinner.

Nothing. He said nothing at all.

"no one will ever want you"