Articles written by Barbara A. Black

What is Helium

About me - Barbara A. Black

I am a 68-year-old homemaker, who is also a writer, a singer, an avid reader, and many other things. I have written poetry since the tenth grade, and taught English for a few years before deciding to try making a living in another field. I sold jewelry, I

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Other Life necessities: 1 of 46
There are really only a few things that are actually necessary to life. The main ones are food, drink, air, shelter, and clothing. Family and/or friends make life more enjoyable. Work of some kind is also a necessity, because without work, a person will get out of shape and not be able to enjoy his/her life. So these are prob... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Sisterhood: 2 of 48
My sister was about three months over seven years old when I was born. There were two brothers older than she was, and two brothers between us. We would later have a fifth brother. So, as the only two girls, we ended up being roommates from the time I was moved out of Mother and Daddy's room until the day she moved out to go ... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Haunted places: 1 of 20
Ghost in the BedroomSitting alone in my little A-frame house one night, reading and grading papers, I was completely engrossed in what I was doing. I didn't realize that it was getting late, until I heard a strange sound and looked up from the paper I was marking. Looking all around me, I couldn't see anything, so I went back... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Walls within: 2 of 35
Wall Around My HeartThe wall around my heartWas built brick by brickAs you consistently,Day by day, month by month,And year by endless year,Castigated me for the past-A past that I could not change,A past that I had no control over.A past that you disapproved of,Just as you disapproved of me.That wall around my heartLed me, f... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Social Values & Norms Lessons in life: 14 of 220
In the almost 67 years I've been on this earth, I've learned a few lessons. Maybe they weren't big, important ones, but they are the ones that I learned-and probably needed to learn! So, for whatever they are worth, I pass them on to you, dear reader. What you do with them is up to you, and you alone.First, as a small child, ... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) True gardening stories and lessons learned: 2 of 24
There were plenty of gardeners in my family tree! My mother's parents had a large garden behind their house; between their house and their younger son's house was a huge garden! And her older brother, who lived about a mile away from the two of them, also had a large garden. My father's younger sister had a garden that would ... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: I am a mother: 4 of 44
Yes, I am a mother. I have been a mother for over 40 years, now, and I will continue to be a mother until the day I am carried to the funeral home. I AM a mother. No, I don't have my children living with me any more. However, I DID have my youngest and her four children living with me last year. They now live with her new hus... More..
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Why writers write: 18 of 193
I'm sure that not every writer writes for the same reason. That would be like saying that every singer sings for the same reason, or that every ballplayer plays for the same reason. So each of us has his or her own reason, or reasons, for writing. I've never really given much thought to WHY I write, because it seemed to be so... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values Experiences you want to have before you die: Making lists to guide your life: 3 of 30
When I began to be serious about leaving my ex and getting a divorce, one of the things I did was to make a list of things I would never do if I stayed married to him. I knew that if I stayed with him, he would keep me too timid to do any of the things on my list, and they were things that I really wanted to do. I've still go... More..
Relationships & Family > Friendship Advice Can men and women be "just friends"?: 13 of 125
My answer to this question is a resounding YES! I know that, for many people, it is inconceivable that men and women can really be "just friends", but I have had many men friends who were no more than friends. And to them, that is all I was. Those friendships were based not on the fact that we were different sexes, but on mut... More..