Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
For the last few weeks, I’ve been working in our hot, dirty garage, cleaning out years of accumulated junk. There are boxes full of things from Jim’s parents’ house, my parents’ house, and my aunt’s house. Some of those items came to live in our garage because we couldn’t decide what to do with them; […]
Earlier this week, I had an emotional meltdown triggered by a three-word sentence I overheard. My response felt too intense, until I realized grief had been building for weeks with no outlet. It wasn’t that I avoided an expression of emotion, or was it? How often do we tamp down emotion so we can wait […]
I’ve been thinking about my dad a lot this week. September 11 marks 33 years since his death. None of us expected him to die at age 72, but cancer robbed him of more years on earth. No matter what age or stage of life you’re in, when a parent dies, it changes how you […]
This time last year, Jim and I attended a birthday party for our youngest grandson. We laughed, listened to children scream as they came down the water slide, sang, and enjoyed every moment. Two days later, we drove to Charlotte and boarded a plane, bound for a cruise, with ports of call in Italy, Turkey, […]
Maintaining a positive perspective in hard life seasons is challenging. It’s easy to drift into a woe-is-me mindset and forget the way you feel now won’t last forever. One of my most difficult challenges in this season of grief is dreaming about Jim and then waking to find him not here. Sometimes, I don’t even […]
Each of us has a life story as unique and varied as personal DNA. Some life stories are filled with pain and hardship; others are stories of blessing and ease. But most of our life stories are filled with ups and downs, seasons of goodness and seasons of struggle. What story is your life telling? […]
In these months since Jim’s death, I’ve come to view grief as a thief. I know grief is a necessary part of moving beyond loss, but without placing boundaries on grief, it runs rampant, unbridled and all-consuming. Following are reflections on the thievery of grief: Regret Everyone has regrets in grief. Less than an hour […]
When I was a child, a favorite book was “The Gingerbread Man.” For some reason, this week I thought of the ongoing refrain, “Run, run, run as fast as you can! You can’t catch me. I’m the Gingerbread Man!” While the Gingerbread Man might be uncatchable, I’ve learned, no matter how hard you try, you […]
Many years ago, when I was young and unencumbered by aging knees, I climbed out our bathroom window and stood on the sunroom roof. My intention was to wash the windows; however, I quickly realized the power of gravity. I was unprepared for the significant downward pull, prompting a rapid return to the safety of […]
Within an 8-day span, an assassination attempt and a presidential bid dropout changed the political landscape. Personally, on January 3, from morning until afternoon, the landscape of our family’s lives changed. The landscapes of our lives and world are in a constant state of flux. Life’s ever-changing nature often leaves us feeling unwieldy and out […]