Two Deeply Personal Stories from WordPress.com This Week
The courage and intimacy of sharing one’s life with others.
“At unexpected points in life, everyone gets waylaid by the colossal force of recollection.”
–Mary Karr, The Art of Memoir
Every day, millions of people share their most intimate thoughts, stories, and memories on a WordPress.com site — and the results can be powerful. Here are two pieces I read this week and (highly!) recommend:
“Seven Years Old, Stealth, and Scared”
Those who follow our Editors’ Picks on Discover may recognize the work of gendermom, the blog of Marlo Mack (a pseudonym) who is navigating life in the United States as the mother of a transgender daughter, “M.” Her latest post is honest, brave, and heartbreaking, about her daughter’s nervousness in going back to school, and how a mother balances the desire to protect her child from cruelty while not making her feel she must be “stealth”:
I have been so focused on helping her maintain her privacy, on telling her, again and again, that only SHE gets to decide who “knows,” that I think I’ve made her afraid. I wanted her to feel like she was in control. And I wanted to protect her from people who are cruel. But somewhere along the line, things went sideways.
School starts tomorrow. And yesterday, out of the blue, my seven-year-old said, “Mama, I want to go to a school with only transgender kids.”
“Thanks for Reading”
Israel Gutierrez is a reporter for ESPN who last week publicly shared his story of coming out, prior to his September 12 wedding:
“Starting in my early teens until somewhere in my late 20s, I’d blow out my birthday candles with the same wish: ‘Please don’t let me be gay.’”
Gutierrez has been out to friends and family for more than six years, but personal testimonials like his can serve as comfort and inspiration for others:
“More than anything, I just want to tell my story. It’s probably going to feel like too much information to some of you. But it’s the best way I know to explain what life can be like for conflicted, confused gay men and women everywhere.”
Everyone has a story to share, and we’re looking forward to reading more. For additional inspiration, check out some of our posts on memoir writing and personal reflection, or browse the personal essay tag in the Reader.
WordPress.com News 
Lovely
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This is insane, that I just finished writing an honest post about how I’m battling with anxeity, click on my reader and this pops up. Don’t underestimate these types of stories… It’s taken my a month for build up the courage to post this.
https://hanemilymoody.wordpress.com/2015/09/18/anxiety-is-not-welcome/
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very lovely eagerly waiting for the next one!
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Mark, I want to personally say thank you. You’ve given voice to so many out there who have questions they are afraid to ask. I started my own blog in hopes of learning what my wife must feel and am encouraged by what I’ve read online that there is help and support out there. I always welcome comments on my own blog as well.
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The bad news: I’m stuck on the couch resting an injured foot. The good news: I had the chance to slow down and read, comment and share both of these amazing blogs. Thanks for sharing, Mark. Great picks.
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Thanks, and hope you have a speedy recovery!
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Thanks, Mark.
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These are great, thank you for sharing! I made my first ever “personal” post yesterday and I found it really cathartic and the responses of my fellow bloggers moved me. I hope that these two bloggers experience the same. 🙂
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Thank you for such a great piece!
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The words of the kid “mama I only want to go to school with transgender kids” made me feel strange. I have a conflicted views to issues like this in part due to my religion. I also extremely sad that we have made a world in which kids have to say words like this.
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Thank you for sharing these stories. I’ve only been following WordPress News a short while. When I signed up, I didn’t expect such depth. Heartwarming to see.
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Thanks for caring to read our posts and sharing it to others. These two stories are truly inspiring.
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I love these kinds of stories, be it private as they are, they need to be told so the world may know and not live in so much hate and fear. I respect the courage it takes to post such a piece of your heart! Looking forward to more!!
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thanks for sharing these. I’ve just started doing some very personal blogging in the last few days and these are great inspiration.
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Thanks Mark, very lovely eagerly waiting for the next one
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Both of these posts were so great to read! Thank you for sharing them with the rest of us who were out of the loop on both of those blogs!
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I love the stories. Waiting and hoping for more beautiful pieces such as these ones.
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YES! We are at a critical point in history and speaking out about experience is a powerful force for change. Beautiful storytelling. Thank you.
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Thanks for sharing this post. Reading other people’s stories has made me more courageous to share mine. It has created a compassionate heart in me and it has made me to be softer and more understanding towards other people’s weaknesses.
It’s also a therapy in the healing process. sharing is healing.
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Honest and touchy, thanks for sharing.
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