From PRX, this is the Moth Radio Hour.

I'm Meg Bowles.

I've recently been working with a storyteller for an upcoming maid stage event,

and her story deals with her life basically getting upended,

something that a lot of people can relate to, especially coming out of a global pandemic.

She was saying that, as upsetting as it was,

she realized that sometimes we have to sit in the discomfort in order to figure out a way through it.

As I was putting together this hour, I was reminded of that because all of the stories in today's show have those moments,

whether it's stepping up to a challenge or into new territory, dealing with stark realities of the past, or working through grief.

As uncomfortable as those moments might be, they can show

us a lot about who we are. Before we start, I just want to note that some of the stories in this

hour touch on mature themes of addiction and sexual violence. So listener discretion is advised.

Our first story comes from Stephanie Whittles Walks. She told that in an evening

we produced at St. Anne's and the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, New York. Here's Stephanie,

live at the month. I was changing my baby's diaper in a public bathroom when the phone rang.

It was an L.A. area code. I didn't know it, so I pressed ignore, continued to deal with the dirty diaper, but it rang again.

And my stomach dropped because I knew. When I picked up, a detective told me very matter-of-factly that my only sibling, my lifelong best friend, my most loyal sidekick, had died of a heroin overdose.

I can't remember exactly how she delivered that news if it was he died or he's dead or your brother's dead

but the idea is that it was over his battle his struggle his war with himself was over i screamed for

my husband who ran in and grabbed the diaperless baby who was now shrieking. I was shrieking too and sobbing and hyperventilating.

I hit the ground on this bathroom floor and pounded my fists

and somehow pulled myself up to a standing position

...