This past weekend, I flew to Los Angeles for a short 10 hours to attend my cousin’s funeral. She was 54 years old, and passed away after becoming ill in late December. At the funeral and reception, I had the chance to reconnect with tons of family members I rarely see. Many talked to me […]
Learning About Moving Forward from The Gilmore Girls
I love the Gilmore Girls, which originally aired from 2000 – 2007, then was revived by Netflix in a 4 episode series in 2016. The revived episodes follows the current lives of the 3 main characters (daughter, mother, and grandmother) 9 years after the original series ended. I loved most of the revived episodes. I […]
Shout Out To Our PETS Who Saved Us
I came across an instagram post that talked about why a PET might be the only thing that pulls you forward after a devastating loss (when nothing and nobody else can reach you). It was an amazing post (I will try to figure out how to link it…) and it ends with the statement, “Pets […]
RIP and Cheers James Van Der Beek
I watched this video James Van Der Beek had posted a couple years ago. He was in his car, and randomly sharing a “revelation” he just had. He had just parked his car in a spot that he had waited for and was a tight fit, but was a little bit closer (a shorter walk) […]
Time of Your Life
Lynn was born in Providence, Rhode Island, into a large Italian family, with heavy Massachusetts / New England accents, were devout Catholics and Red Sox fans, and – New England Patriots fans. I just came from my friends’ annual 2026 Super Bowl party, where the Patriots played (and lost horribly to) the Seahawks. I was […]
Getting Rid of Her Sentimental Items
I was watching a YouTube video about decluttering, or some similar topic. The presenter discussed how it can be difficult to get rid of items that belonged to a loved one who has passed away. I’ve watched tons of videos and read many books that talk about this, but in the video, they made a […]
Taking Off Our Matching Rings
I remember the various milestones in the past 11 years, regarding when I took off certain significant pieces of jewelry. The matching ring that I wore on my ring finger that Lynn and I had that represented our forever union – I took that off in various spurts. I stopped wearing mine after a year […]
The Unexpected Nostalgia of Weather Changes
I finally went for a run in the woods near my house. It has been about 2 months since I went on a “real” run, and even longer since I went for a “proper” trail run in these woods that I consider my church. It was cold and sunny, perfect for a run. It’s the […]
Revisiting Old New Year’s Resolutions
It’s another New Year, so I am naturally thinking about resolutions… “goals” for 2026. Hopes, dreams, accomplishments, etc. This made me start thinking about things on Lynn and my “Bucket List” that we never completed. One big one that was on the list forever was to travel to Europe – specifically to Italy, where her […]
Updating Software
And once again, we are sooo close to another New Year. And, Lynn’s Angelversary (Death Anniversary) is December 3. So for these two reasons, the month of December feels like a big ol’ transitional, reflective, “purgatory” type of mini-chapter. Last year in December, I also helped sell my childhood / my parent’s home, which they […]
Visiting Cemeteries
I am currently in the Philippines, visiting with family for the holidays. We are from a small mountain town, where both my parents’ families have lived for generations. My Mom, who passed away 2.5 years ago, is here in our family mausoleum. Even when I was a child visiting “home,” going to the cemetery was […]
Holiday Traditions Evolving
“Fun” fact – Lynn and I never spent a Christmas together in the 10 years we were together on Earth. Her family lived in Tennessee, and mine lived in the same town we lived. We both had big families we were close to, with lots of nieces and nephews. We both wanted to spend the […]