Every Family's Got One

About Every Family's Got One

Barbara Herel is the founder and producer of Every Family's Got One. She is a writer and storyteller, wife and mother, and a recovering middle child. (You bet she has some stories to tell.) You can find her work in places like, Scary Mommy, Motherly, Adoptive Families, on page 135 in the anthology Tick Tock: Essays on Becoming a Parent After 40 (published by Dottir Press), and right here on Every Family’s Got One.

A Story About a Gunshot and Ripple Effects

By Every Family's Got One Guest Writer -- Stephanie Stearns Dulli   The gunshot, the blood, the very murder itself is a heavy stone dropped from a great height into our lives. Immediately everything is violently displaced. Though we continue existing, though what has been displaced settles… the ripples pullulate outward for decades. Generational repercussions lessening until it’s simply family lore. And even then, there is still pain. A gunshot... ended my father’s life when I was a young toddler. A blank canvas exists where my memories of him should be. My father figures pieced together from television shows [...]

2019-03-21T09:25:17-04:00November 28, 2018|1 Comment

A Story About Gratitude

By Every Family's Got One Founder -- Barbara Herel Photo by ebeth photography We are filled with gratitude! From casting to opening night, and everything in-between, Kathy and I couldn’t have dreamed up a better storytelling evening for all. And believe us, we were dreaming BIG. Our Cast… Was splendid in every way possible. Right from the very first rehearsal, which actually felt more like a well-honed writer’s workshop, you could feel the bond between castmates. (Our brains are still going through the glorious details of each performance, and our hearts… well, our hearts haven’t stopped overflowing with [...]

2019-11-18T11:31:11-05:00November 21, 2018|Comments Off on A Story About Gratitude

A Story About Broken Glass and New Beginnings

By Every Family's Got One Guest Writer -- Joy Hedding I cried over a broken glass last night. A simple, slightly larger than pint-sized glass. The graphic on the glass said, “No! You Can’t Have A Sip.” I bawled as I swept up the shards of glasses from the floor. Each piece... made me catch my breath in the back of my throat. The pinprick cuts I got on my hands from picking up each and every single bit of glass were completely ignored. I cleaned up the floor, tidied the broom and dustpan. Then I went back to washing [...]

2018-11-02T13:08:56-04:00November 14, 2018|2 Comments

A Story About an Apology to The Youngest Son

By Every Family's Got One Guest Writer -- Mia Carella Dear Little Man, I have been wanting to write you this letter for a long time. I feel like there is a lot I need to say to you... and apologize for. It's been a little over two years now since you joined our family to make us a party of four. You are only a toddler now, but I feel like some things need to be said.  At first, this letter was going to take a more light-hearted approach. I was going to apologize... to you for the [...]

2018-11-02T12:40:12-04:00November 7, 2018|2 Comments

A Story About a Mother’s Magic

By Every Family's Got One Guest Writer -- Heather LeRoss Yesterday, I held my 5-foot 6-inch son as he sobbed. His “more man than boy” head burrowed into my shoulder, his long body curled into a ball as he moved to be closer to me. His sobs sounding like age... no longer little boy wails, tore into my heart, lodged there, and worked tirelessly to break me. He was hurting. He was scared. I was at a loss, no longer able to hold this young man and kiss away his pain. No longer able to dispel my “Mother’s Magic” [...]

2018-10-30T10:20:16-04:00October 31, 2018|7 Comments

A Story About Grandpa Ben

By Every Family's Got One Cast Member -- Lisa Leshaw Grandpa Ben and I were bosom buddies. Or as he liked to call us ‘the tightest peas in the pod.’ I was “Squirt” to his “Papa Bear.” There could not have been a better pair of arms to scoop me up at the bottom of the playground slide or bear hug me from behind when we raced around the living room. He laughed like Santa... burped very inappropriately (mostly when my Dad wasn’t listening) and let me eat Smores for breakfast if I gave him a double-raspberry on his cheek. He [...]

2019-03-21T09:26:48-04:00October 24, 2018|2 Comments
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