Threads That Bind Us
By Atiana Contreras-Sisco
Piece by Piece
—A Story of Family, Memory, and the Rituals That Hold Us
It’s Saturday night.
The house settles into its Saturday rhythm—warm, steady, alive.
The kind of energy that says something’s coming. Sunday’s on the way, and everybody knows it.
There’s the scent of something cooking— garlic, seasoning, maybe a little butter melting down. In the kitchen, soul food is already in motion.
Mac and cheese resting, creamy and bold. Cornbread warm and ready, like it knows it belongs. Because nobody’s cooking from scratch after church.
Grandma sits in her chair, snapping green beans into a big bowl.
Quiet, steady, watching.
Her hands move like they’ve done this a hundred times— because they have.
Raised babies, held grief,
created joy from whatever was in the pantry.
Now they’re teaching, without ever having to say a word.
