Before the death of Don Shepherd, my mind and brain quite easily handled multiple tasks at once. My life in NYC was frantic, chaotic, colorful, probably way too busy, and with high stress levels. It was also the life of a struggling artist. I was younger then, and I think because mostly the multiple jobs […]
Gas Station Flowers
Although its been over 10 years since the sudden death of Don Shepherd, and although most times Im more than okay these days, there are moments where the guilt and regret of things past starts to overwhelm me. I know its silly and I know that I shouldnt waste my time torturing myself with these […]
Snow and Compromise
Yesterday, we got hit with a nor’easter/blizzard here in Massachusetts. Our area got almost a foot of snow (other parts of Mass. less than an hour away got 2 feet and more), plus nasty gusting winds, and massive tides and flooding in beach areas. We live in a house now, that we bought back in […]
Topsy Turvy Widowed World
Happy Sunday, peeps! Sometimes, this life after loss thing feels so surreal to me I can barely take it. At times, it feels as if the life I am living is a life I dont even recognize as me, and I wonder would my dead husband Don recognize it, if he were randomly no longer […]
Guitar, Ukulele, Guitar
So those of you who follow me here or have read my book or have kept up with my grief and life “tsunami”, as I call it, know that my dead husband Don loved music. (you probably also know that I use terms like “grief tsunami” and “dead husband” because I hate the terms “grief […]
Don’t Make the Best of it. Own It.
This weekend, New Years Eve, to be exact, was me and Nick’s first wedding anniversary. On that night, we were supposed to attend a huge NYE party at a local establishment; complete with live music, prime rib dinners, dancing, and countdown to midnight festivities. We have been to this party before, a couple years back, […]
Not Bad, Just Different
Its the day after Christmas, and we are finally getting settled in at home after running around and doing short visits with both families (mine and my husbands.) Nick and I made up some bags of homemade goodies and treats to give out to the neighbors and family and a couple close friends. He made […]
REMEMBERING NOT TO FORGET
So yesterday was the anniversary of the day that Don proposed to me under the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in NYC. I share this milestone date with a dear widow friend who lives in NYC, and the “crapaversary” of her death date is the same day as my proposal anniversary – December 18th. Yesterday she […]
Proposals, Plural
So one year ago today, my husband Nick asked me to marry him. He did it at our favorite restaurant where we met in person and had our first date. He did it in the front area of the restaurant, by the Christmas tree and fireplace area, down on one knee, with one of their […]
My Forever Hero and Friend Michele
Most of you reading this probably already know that Michele Neff Hernandez, the founder and Executive Director of Soaring Spirits International, was chosen by CNN as one of the Top 10 Finalists for CNN Hero of the Year. That, in itself, is unbelievably surreal and exciting. It was VERY surreal when Anderson Cooper was on […]
Some Words about my friend, Tim O’Brien
I met Tim O-Brien because my husband Don died, and his wife Keri died. We met at a wonderfully weird place called Camp Widow. We became friends quite fast, and also over the years, because we would spend little nuggets of time together at various Camp Widow events. Those of us who have been to […]
Shepherds Farm
Last year, Nick and I were living in our rented apartment together, and we hosted our first Thanksgiving there. Due to the pandemic, it was a very small gathering. It was just us, my parents, and my brother. Since my parents had survived covid and hospital stays with covid to boot, we were all extra […]