From “Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma” by Ellen Corcella
Their son, John, was still a toddler when their marriage ended in divorce. I often picked up John to spend weekends with me, my sister working six days a week to set up a boutique chocolate and gift store in downtown Glen Rock, New Jersey. Little John would bolt out of the candy store onto the sidewalk as soon as he spotted me through the display windows, squealing, “Aunt Ellen!”
When he was six, I taught him to read New York City train schedules and subway maps during our long rides from Glen Rock to Brooklyn. I ordered pizza for Friday nights, and we spent Saturday devouring New York City: the Natural History Museum, the Hayden Planetarium, Battery Park City, the Bronx Zoo, attending Yankee and Mets games and the Ringling Brothers Circus at Madison Square Garden. He needed a safe space where he could be himself. In turn, he turned lonely weekends into laughter, exploration, and delight. Together, we shared love and felt loved.