Lessons in Grief
In the past year, I’ve learned more about grief and the grieving process than I thought possible. I never presumed to know all about this category, but I didn’t expect to have so many new lessons all at once. My hope in sharing is that others realize they are...
The Graduate
While running errands, I listen to the radio in the car. For several months, this usually results in a puddle of tears. A specific handful of songs trigger the grief. This week, it wasn’t a song, but the D.J. talking that caused a wave of emotion. They were talking...
Fingerprints
Grief walks beside me daily. Sometimes its presence is quiet, soft, and non-interfering. Other times, it hits me like a tidal wave, pushing me under the current. Sometimes these bigger waves recede, giving me time to breathe before the next one. Other times, the waves threaten to drown me....
Lessons from the Country House
Over the last several weeks, we’ve experienced “life interrupted.” Canceled activities, closed formal worship, and limits at the grocery store. At about week three of the “stay at home” order, a group of close friends decided we needed each other, even if we had to “do church” online; we...
Make a Good Middle
August means back to school. In some ways, August brings fresh resolve to explore new opportunities and improve on the previous school year. Yes, even for homeschoolers. August is a new beginning, a time to learn new things while building on old lessons. All of this culminates in preparing...
Surviving a Hurricane
This summer, we finally joined part of my husband’s family on a vacation to Maui! Traveling together, aside from visiting parents and grandparents, has been a rare treat since our return Stateside, four years ago. We enjoyed the ocean, the beautiful scenery, and the perfect climate. … well, almost...
Waves of Grief
In recent weeks, I once again find myself in a place of grieving. Old losses surge like tidal waves, leaving sadness, anger, emptiness, and anxiety behind. The cleanup continues with each aftershock. Eventually, maybe the waves become smaller and further apart, but not necessarily more manageable. For me, the...
Cruising Back to Reality
Last week, I went on my first cruise, without my family. After more than a year of transitions, after more than seven years of doing almost everything for and with my children, after almost nine years without a “personal vacation” – I took a REAL vacation. About a year...
Lessons from The Muppet Movie
Being a child of the Eighties, I grew up with Sesame Street (I believe older episodes were better). Jim Henson’s Muppets made the show, in my opinion. Kermit the Frog was among my favorite characters. The Muppet Movie (the original) remains my favorite of all Muppet movies. I’m surprised...
The Glue of Anniversaries
On this day, eight years ago, I woke to Peter’s phone call saying he had been bumped from his flight (the Army wouldn’t let him off early the day before to get to his own wedding). He made it, just in time – though I guess we would have...