Why It's Okay to Grieve I have finally understood something about grief that I haven't been able to put into words and understand before: Grief allows you to hold on to the thing you lost and allowing you to ...
My kids and I love to celebrate holidays. Sure, we like all of the traditional ones like Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, holidays like National Cheese Day, World Kindness Day, and International Friendship Day are up our alley too. Heck, just ...
National Grief Awareness Day National Grief Awareness Day is on August 30th. It is a day to draw national attention to those grieving a loved one. Those grieving need to feel supported. A grieving person often feels like nobody understands ...
Sometimes I see life as a series of mountains and valleys. I have just come back from another hike. I have done several overnight, back country, backpacking trips but this one was another special one. It was extra hard with ...
For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 I spend a lot of time hiking which allows me ...
You should be here! The four words I often find myself saying in my head. Simple four little words that go around in my head and can tend to bring emotions and other thoughts to follow. But he isn’t here, ...
As a widow in my 40’s, the most common expression I hear from people once they know my story is, “I cannot even imagine”. Nobody wants to imagine a tragedy like mine happening to them. I prefer to think of ...
How many times have you heard: “You are so strong!”? Or seen memes that compliment a widow’s strength, like this one: “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have”? I didn’t realize ...
It’s Friday and I’m sitting on my deck in my sunny backyard making a grocery shopping list. The Shipt shopper will take care of the shopping that Rick used to do as his most favorite task in the world (man, ...
I am more than just a widow. If I had a dollar for the number of times I was referred to as a widow, or "you know, the one whose husband died," I think I could buy myself a beach ...