On Tuesday, I awoke around 1:00am. Turning on my laptop, I knew what I was looking for; the Facebook Post I’d written on that day four years earlier sharing the sad and unwanted news with so many that Rich had lost his three-week long fight to keep on living. There are now over 500 comments […]
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The Story of a Photo
I happened to be going through some old photos and stumbled on one from when we first moved to Oregon. It’s funny how images can act as little time travel devices sometimes, putting you right back to the moment it was taken. The year was 2007. Hard to believe that was now 18 years ago. […]
Officially Nearing the End
I basically stopped working as a lawyer soon after Lee passed away from cancer. It has been more than five years. Now, I feel the time has come to discuss my “official” retirement with the two principals at the law firm where Eric and I landed after we voluntarily closed our own firm. Back then, […]
A promise to myself
is worth keeping A valuable promise for widowed people to make is to prioritize our own self-care and self-worth by committing to our well-being and growth. What does “I’ll take care of you” mean when we say it to ourselves? We might begin by prioritizing self-care and dare to discover what “self-worth” means […]
When Longtime Traditions Change
Yesterday, I facilitated a parol making workshop for a large group of Filipinos, some I have known since I was a child. Parols are a traditional, Philippine lantern displayed during the holiday season, and made of capiz shells. OUR homemade carols, however, are made of bamboo sticks and cellophane paper. Years ago, I would bring […]
Detours and Alignment
In last week’s post, I wrote about timelines and how they can help us recognize the milestones of moving forward after a pivotal life-changing event. I have often drawn my own Timelines to keep events in correct order. I once recounted a story about my dog Quint and Rich. Later a friend reminded me that […]
Shards of Glass
Years ago, our local area recycled glass (they stopped doing that awhile back). It was picked up in the typical, blue recycle bin on the same day trash pick up happened. Normally, we wouldn’t have produced much glass to recycle… maybe a jam or honey jar, a salad dressing bottle here and there, that sort […]
A Walk in the Park
Early Saturday morning, a friend came by my house. It was already shaping up as another glorious Fall day. The sun shone and the sky was blue. Despite the early hour, the air temperature was unseasonably mild, as had been the case even before the recent official change of seasons. We took advantage of the […]
Pondering Hope
Then and Now In the early days of losing my husband of 52 years, I was in shock. A fog. It lasted a full year and as time moved on, I saw myself clinging to optimism. I’m a hopeless optimist and the problem in that is that sometimes I avoid feeling my feelings in the […]
BBQ Community
Living in the Midwest, BBQ is a food group and a hobby. I’ve shared before that Tony loved to smoke and had a BBQ team. He also shared that love with others and built a community of competitors. One of the people he drew into that world was his boss. A few weeks ago, his […]
Reminders of Intertwined Lives
Fire season in California means updating the emergency backpack in the car. Among the various obvious items I have in it, I also have items for my “elderly” parents – particularly for my Mom’s health needs. We live 8 blocks away from each other, and the times we have had to evacuate, we evacuate together. […]
Quality Time
The period between September 28th and the 28th of October will forever be a time of reflection and recollection. Even with so many changes and forward movement, I’d not be honest if I said that the memories of past drastic events didnt affect my days. Yes, we do move forward (NOT on), but that […]