This week I’ve spent a lot of time helping my mom with various things while also watching her ride the rollercoaster of the stages of grief. I know she’s frustrated. She’s 83 and has only so much energy and patience in a day. She really wants to get all of the important things done that […]
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Revisiting My Past
The sun on the water is sparkling. The sky is pure blue, cloudless. It was in the mid-eighties when we departed shore. A light breeze is coming from the south. Robyn has wisely brought along a sweater today, ready for the changing weather conditions one encounters on the water. However, no sweater is needed for […]
The Gift of Camp Widow
in San Diego once again! The first Camp Widow showed up as “The First Annual National Conference on Widowhood.” Take a moment and consider that we’re celebrating the 16th year of Camp Widow this coming weekend. Many more than sixteen camps have endured. Add to that Canada and Australia—Wow! All major accomplishments that started […]
Insignificant, Yet Significant
There are just some things that I can’t seem to part with. For the past three weeks, I have been trying to get rid of a set of bath towels that the twins have been using. It has definitely seen some better days. For some reason, I just can’t seem to say goodbye to something […]
Four Words
It’s time for me to prep for Camp Widow in San Diego this week. There are lots of tasks to get myself ready to be away from home for almost 5 days. Packing myself, scheduling the kids with grandparents, lining out their schedules, the list goes on. Last week, I received a survey from Soaring […]
Ruff Musings From the “Homefront”
I am sitting here writing in the moment as the week sort of sped by and I realized last night I had not prepped or drafted a post for today. Monday started with an interesting phone consult with a Literary Agent in New York City about my memoir that is continually in progress. If […]
One of Us
At 4:17am on July 9th, my mom became one of us. My dad succumbed to the traumatic brain injury sustained in the wreck on June 30th. They were married for 65 years. They got on each others nerves at points, but stuck it out together till death did they part. It’s a good thing I’m […]
The Getaway
I read in Forbes that 47% of working Americans won’t take a summer vacation this year “because it’s too stressful to plan a getaway.” “5 Productivity Hacks To Avoid The Summer Slump And Stay On Track,” by Bryan Robinson, Ph.D. (found at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2024/07/02/5-productivity-hacks-to-avoid-thesummer-slump-and-stay-on-track/ ). While I no longer count myself among this group of Americans, […]
Summertime
and it is HOT in Riverside, California! Awakening to climbing temperatures that announce at 6:00 am another hot day on the way. I rise to turn on the fans. Oddly the first thought is about the heat and not about my widowed status. You see, there are many […]
July Blues
Just like clockwork, another July rolls around. As each year passes, the important dates seem to hold more value as we get further from when Erik was here. July holds so much significance for us. July 2nd of the year Erik passed was supposed to be our “Christmas in July” vow renewal. These important dates […]
Fireworks
This is the fourth, 4th of July we’ve celebrated without Tony. It doesn’t feel as devastating as it did the first few years. While it doesn’t hurt like it did in the beginning, I still find myself thinking about him throughout the holiday. On the 4th, our youngest was recovering from a cold so we […]
Pause
I almost forgot to write in here today, because life. But here I am, writing the blog at about 7:20pm eastern time. Better late than never I guess. My day was a bit wacky today, and started out a bit chaotic and rushed, which is why I forgot to write in here, since I normally […]