---The below excerpt is a chapter from my debut memoir, Temple and Ash--- My gerbera daisy bloomed this morning. I didn’t think she would flower again. Mom said she has never been able to get hers to, and her thumb is greener than Shrek’s.  There were times I thought she was a lost cause; dead for good. But this morning she stands tall and bright. Resilient. Hopeful. That relentless canary yellow daisy is the first thing I see in my mind’s eye when Dr. C tells me that we are

---The below excerpt is a chapter from my debut memoir, Temple and Ash--- It is nearing bedtime, and my younger sister Casey exhales dramatically as we sit side-by-side in the bathtub, scrubbing the shower walls with our soapy rags.  Together, we bemoan the devious Evil Step-Mother for forcing us into such cruel indentured servitude and preventing us from being outside instead, singing and dancing with the birds. I lean over to inspect her work, informing her that she has mis