Stacey Laho

“Real isn’t how you're made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become Real.” “Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real, you don’t mind being hurt.” “Does it happen all at once like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?” “It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out, and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand. ” ~ The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams A blond-haired little girl stood in t...

“I’ve never had anyone speak to me like that before. I can’t believe she said that when all was trying to do was help, “I quietly griped to Jeff. We were at the airport preparing to fly home from a restful, celebratory, trip to Florida. Twenty-five years of marriage definitely deserved a little celebrating. Jeff looked puzzled at me as we stood in line at the gate to check our bags.I mumbled, “That lady. She was mean to me. I’ve never had anyone talk to me like that .”  “What lady?” Jeff asked me to explain after we sat down to wait for the plane to start boarding “See that old lady with dark hair, standing next to the tall old man? Well she just bit my head off! I saw her walk briskly up to the gate with her husband and bark at him to get their tickets out. I thought I would ease her anxiety by telling her the plane wasn’t boarding yet and I was merely checking my bag, eyes of hate pierced into me with a snappy ‘ I know that’ . She paused to let the mind-your-o...