Last night, I watched the documentary “Still: A Michael J. Fox movie.” It tells Fox’s story in his own words – the tale of an undersized kid from a Canadian army base who rose to the heights of stardom in 1980’s Hollywood. The account of Fox’s public life, full of nostalgic thrills and cinematic gloss, […]
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The “Write” Path
I began writing blog posts for Widow’s Voice on October 1st of last year, nearly a year after the passing of my husband, Rich. I actually couldn’t remember when I’d started as the Saturday Poster (the fog is real) and it was only when I perused my archived posts that I realized I’d really had […]
Tackling Loneliness
As a widower, I make the effort to cultivate my friendships and acquaintances. By doing so I hope to avoid the loneliness and disconnection that seems to be pervasive. The unfavorable outcomes of loneliness are numerous. Loneliness is associated with depression and other forms of mental illness, of course. It also is a risk factor […]
Motherhood in May
I am tired. For parents of school aged children, May is a special hellscape. Spring sports are in full swing. There are last minute school projects to complete. Field day for the elementary kids. Band concerts. Fifth grade farewell and last day hallway walks for my middle one as he closes out his last year […]
Happy Dog Mom’s Day
“…in some magical way, time seems to stand still for our canines, and that they will love, need, and appreciate you, fur-ever.” With the passing of my father two weeks ago, I’ve been occupied with many family matters and trying to help my mother who is now one of the 800,000 people who become widowed […]
Mother’s Day Reflections
My mother will have been gone nearly twenty years come this Mother’s Day. I can tell you that she loved her family unconditionally, and me most of all, I think. Come Mother’s Day I will think about my mother’s generous spirit. I will recall her stubbornness. I will remember that my mother was highly principled. […]
15 Years and Counting
So, last night was the Soaring Spirits “Hope Takes Flight” Gala; celebrating 15 years of this incredible non-profit for widowed people worldwide. SSI Founder Michele Neff Hernandez took the tragedy of the sudden death of her husband Phil, and with it, created an empire of love, community, and hope. The collective losses of so many […]
Can an Old Dog Learn New Tricks?
My older sister was one of the smartest people I ever knew. She was so good at solving certain puzzles that for many years it was rumored that a representative of a 3-letter government intelligence agency once came around to inquire whether she might be interested in going to work there. Much later in life […]
Finding Your Tribe
So, a couple of things happened this past weekend that are relevant to loss, and life in the aftermath of loss. The first thing is that on Friday evening, I hosted a comedy show. It was a fund-raiser for a local non-profit here in Gardner, MA called “Alyssa’s Place Peer Recovery Center.” They deal in […]
Taken for Granted
As is my custom, my first waking act was to raise the shade covering my rear door and survey the yard. Just this past week I’d taken advantage of favorable weather conditions to ready the yard for the growing season. And quickly, signs of new life were appearing everywhere. Happily, I saw that the red […]
Joy and Melancholy
Yesterday was my oldest son’s birthday. This Thursday will mark two years since Tony’s death. It is hard to hold both of those dates in my heart so close together. The date that we became parents for the first time with the date we all lost him. Joy and melancholy fold in on themselves. This […]
Its Because You are Dead
So Ive been missing Don quite a bit lately. Just some little things, and a few big things, but mostly little things about him. Ive been quietly missing him, and also sometimes telling someone I miss him or sharing a thought or memory of him that I have probably shared before. (when someone dies on […]