New friends
I remember the first new friend I made after my mother died – it was a remarkable experience, extraordinary in its simplicity. I sat down beside a woman at a Little League baseball game and we began to chat. Our sons were both nine at the time and playing on the same team, both of our […]
It’s March … again
I’ve been tossing and turning since the wee hours of the morning, my mind is too busy to sleep. Memories of two years ago are being muddied by the memory of last year and I’m a mess. Two years ago we were stepping into a month of horror, living the end of the beginning of that […]
The watcher
I’m having a devil of a time trying to write about my recent adventure. I find this odd because it was a great adventure – my whole family (three kids, their spouses and four grandchildren) went for a nine day vacation to one of the happiest places on earth – Disney’s Magic Kingdom – and I […]
‘The Before’
I was typing tonight as I often do in the quiet of the evening, concentrating on words, when I unwittingly took a little trip. I don’t know how long I was gone, diving deeper and deeper into my thoughts but it must have been awhile considering the depth of my confusion when I looked up. For a […]
Silver linings
The horizon was dishing out silver linings like Facebook reminders yesterday morning. They were so impressive I was compelled to dig my phone out of my pocket and take a picture – the world was waking up, a new day dawning and silver linings were abundant. In that moment of appreciation it occurred to me that silver […]
Surviving Christmas again
We did it, survived another Christmas without him. This year the holidays were emotional but accepted in a fashion that would have made him proud. Although his physical presence has disappeared we all carried a piece of him into the season – he was with us in spirit. We were less afraid to acknowledge the empty […]
The eve
It’s a wrap – we’re putting 2019 to bed tonight – tomorrow will be the first day of a brand new year, a day of resolutions and promises. It will also be Wednesday, the middle of the week and half way to the weekend. Tomorrow will be special and ordinary in the same moment, the world will […]
Christmas is on its way
There’s a chill in the air this week – the season is about to change. The grass is frosted in the morning and the metal latch on the gate is being stubborn. The wind has been chasing brittle leaves across the sidewalk, their scurrying edges clicking on the pavement like the high heels of fairies […]
The magic of time
My grief has been the focus of my life for the past year and a half – I devoured it as much as it devoured me, it’s been all consuming. I’ve been a faithful servant of that grief; I fed it, nurtured it and kept it safe. We were attached, that grief and I – we […]
Two peas in the pod of life and death
Guest blogger Deborah Solski shares her intimate story of loss and the support she received from strangers — strangers who became her hospice family. A few years ago, the love of my life was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It shattered our lives and crushed our dreams of hand holding and wine sipping when we eventually retired to our […]