In this story, Destiny Cox writes about her loving relationship with her brother Kareem, who is her best friend. When Kareem is stabbed to death at age 24, she and her family are devastated. Destiny turns to writing to try to ease her pain.

Prompts for discussion and/or writing:

—Have you experienced the death of a family member or friend? How was your experience similar to Destiny’s? How was it different?

—Circle a sentence or paragraph in Destiny’s story that you relate to the most. Why do you relate to it?

—Destiny says she was in denial after her brother’s death, expecting him to come home. Did you have similar feelings after a family member or friend passed away? In what ways?

—Destiny turns to writing to try to heal her grief. What (or who) did you turn to for help after a similar experience in your life?

—Destiny finds a “silver lining” in her brother’s death: she feels she’s a stronger person and lives every day to the fullest. Was there a silver lining for you? Why or why not?