Mj Pettengill

You must harden and become strong. Not that caring too much is a weakness, but in an orphanage, tears will do you in.

I had to find a way to bring Abigail home, but there was no longer a home to speak of.

Tempy tended to my bath, arranged my hair, and prepared my dress and accessories in time for us to attend a special church service...

Leave no stone unturned, as the right information may be tucked away in the wrong place.

I finally owned up to the truth. My own will and desire created him in the wind.

I have unveiled harrowing scenes, imagining food that is not fit for pigs, and placed myself at the table.

I re-read Abigail’s letter, starin’ at the words, “county farm.” It was as if I had learned of her death.

I spend much time exploring dark places—places where we are typically unwelcome. There are no complaints here. I signed up for it. I made...

He knew that I would not take part in blamin’ everything that ever went wrong, since the Garden of Eden, on Eve.

Facing fear in a rigged system while raising children—keeping them warm, fed, and sheltered—is downright perilous and unpredictable.

I keep my 'darlings' tucked away. I do not kill them entirely.

It was hard to believe that my feet were on the same earth where Mamma’s feet once were. I wondered if the earth would have known that...

They would take you out and beat you senseless if they found you hidin’ in a car. I only got caught once, and that was enough for me.

With this new-found freedom came the challenges of women working for pennies a day while boosting a handful of already influential families

I longed for the time when God shined His candle about my head as in the days of my youth.

We continue to pass along the grief and pain of those before us, and in time, forget their origins. We inherit their losses.

When we finally summon the courage to view our past, we may awaken from our troubled dreams.

I reached towards the wreckage of my whole existence.

The practice of auctioning the poor is a form of indentured servitude, a custom in this country that dates back to the first settlers...

You can be a strong force within yourself, family, and community without raising an angry fist.