I don’t even know where and how and when to start this blog post. I had to say a bittersweet goodbye to my sweet dog, Zeke, this weekend. I had him just short of six years but those six years were full of smiles and laughter and f-u-n. I heard about a breeder that was... Continue Reading →
My Journey To The Other Side of Grief #GriefIsLife
Looking back, two and half years later, I find myself in a life I did not expect and yet a life that I now embrace fully. I really thought I would grow old with Paul, doing daily activities together. It’s sort of me and my dog, Zeke, now. I have learned to say yes to... Continue Reading →
November 2016: Dear Paul… #GriefNeverEnds
Dear Paul, I have been thinking of you a great deal. Your birthday passed a few weeks ago. The day you had your cardiac arrest passed, which is the date I consider when you died. Four days later, we had to pull your life support. I knew you were not in your body because you... Continue Reading →
Our Choices Are How We Define Ourselves #MakeGoodChoices
I have been thinking a great deal about the choices I have made since Paul died, almost two years ago. My goals – choices if you will – were to heal, to learn, to forgive, to live. Living was the key ingredient that got me out of bed every day and hike with Zeke, my... Continue Reading →
The Wave of Grief Came So I Swam into My Kitchen #ItsHowICope
Grief has no particular time frame. The cliché that it “comes in waves†is the only tangible way to describe that overwhelming feeling one experiences when you least expect it. Just when you think you have your grownup bootstraps up just so, it all comes tumbling down. Cascading is another word that comes to mind... Continue Reading →
My Sister, My Best Friends & My #SisterFriends
I am hanging out with my sister, Marianne, this week to help her out after a double procedure surgery she had recently. Little does she know that the rest of the week, I am preparing meals my way. {insert laugh} It’s a sister thing with us, who has the better recipe. In all honesty, we... Continue Reading →
Disagreement Should Not Involve Guns #Love&Tolerance
Often I write my blog piece over the weekend and upload on Monday mornings. So, I am writing this on Sunday morning, trying to finish my coffee and digest the shooting in Orlando in my weary brain. God is sad alongside me this morning. I just do not understand hatred so deep that it moves... Continue Reading →
Grief Wears Many Hats in Life #ItComesInWaves
They saw grief comes in waves, and for me it appears to be a tidal wave. However, I have a sturdy life jacket called joy that helps me face the challenges before me. My dear, sweet companion and best friend ever, my dog Zeke, has been diagnosed with severe congestive heart failure. It seems just... Continue Reading →
I Had the Good Kind of Fire #LettingGo #MovingOn
On Saturday night, I had a select group of friends over for a bonfire. These friends were my tribe that were always present for me after Paul died or in the later months or both, offering the kind of love and support that helped me navigate the grief. I was never given Paul’s keepsake ashes,... Continue Reading →
Listen To Others With Open Eyes and Heart #ItsNeverTooLateToStart
I had an entire blog post written for today. But the events of this past weekend turned me upside down and all around. I just could not press the send button. No way, no how. Honestly, I did not have the energy. As it was, I wrote about how friends and friendships are critical when... Continue Reading →