I was at a four-day writers’ conference this past weekend. It was supposed to be on a lake in northern Michigan, but due to COVID, it was on Zoom. That’s a lot of screen time, but it was worth it. ...
. I stopped writing about my grief for a while. Some of the initial abandon with which I was willing to talk about my struggles faded and I was left with the sense that as time went on I ...
Sports was my husband’s thing. He coached our son’s baseball team. And our son's football team. The last spring he was alive he coached Steven’s baseball team. Even though he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his ...
Before I lost my husband, I was vaguely familiar with the 5 stages of grief. Honestly, I think I learned about the stages of grief from some movie. So, when Todd died, I thought my emotions would have this logical ...
When my husband passed suddenly at the age of 32, I was quite pregnant with our second child and was a stay at home mother to our then 18 month old. Despite being an intelligent and capable 31 year old ...
There is something surreal about going from one to two years, in terms of grief. Singular becomes plural so quickly, and you lose the ability to say "Oh, he died a year and a half ago," or "last year, I ...
As I lay here I am reminded to count my blessings. Sometimes when life has been difficult, stressful, and full of grief it is easy to focus on the negative. To focus on the sorrow instead of the joy. To ...
I met a man. I like him a lot. He’s intelligent, funny, kind, interesting, and philosophical - all traits I desire in a partner. He says he likes me a lot, too - and he shows it in many ways. ...
“Martin Anthony(Tony) Barnes, age 47, passed away peacefully with his wife Cheryl Barnes at his side on Friday, August 29, 2014 at Florida Hospital after battling a long illness.” That is the first line of my husband’s obituary and my ...
Simple rituals can have a HUGE impact. Over the past few years a multiple of painful losses have poured down on me. I am thankful that I was able to take some refuge from the ancient traditions I continue to ...