Information and advice for grieving survivors concerning “grief triggers” is both abundant and easy to find. However, much of the stuff I have seen seems directed to teaching how one can brace against the effects of grief, focusing on such major milestones as birthdays, anniversaries, holiday celebrations and the like. Considering my own case, as […]
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Contact High
On Friday night, my husband Nick and I went to see Eric Clapton in concert. Nick got the tickets for us as an early birthday gift for me, as my birthday is coming up on September 26th. It was a great concert, and he is a very talented musician. However, several factors made the night […]
Push and Pull
In 2023 I am going to overwinter in the desert. This week a whiff of Fall in the air prompted me to start my travel research. Of course, I knew my destination but not how best to get there. I was looking for a safe and convenient route for me and Lola the pup that […]
Suicide Prevention Day
Cover Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash It’s probably clear from the title but I want to start by disclosing that I will be writing about suicide in this weeks post. In July, the new national prevention hotline number, 988, launched. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and Friday the 10th was World Suicide Prevention […]
Maybe Grateful
Feeling some things today in my heart that are a bit all over the place, but also sort of add up to emotions of maybe being thankful or grateful or something in that neighborhood. Finally. Maybe. Sure. On this 21 year anniversary of the horrific events of 9/11/2001, Im feeling thankful to know and to […]
Revisiting My Tears
Earlier this week I sat down at the computer, intending to pound out an article about Labor Day being the unofficial end of Summer, but could not get past the vision I was having of Lee: I’m watching her and just then she opens those soft and large brown eyes I’d grown to love and […]
I Watch With You
On August 31, 2002, Don Shepherd flew from his home in Florida into Newwark airport, and met me in person for the first time, after we had been marinating in our long-distance/not yet defined relationship / incredible friendship for three and a half years. Because of past trauma I had been through, I was terrified […]
Block Party
September 9 is the date set for our block party, an annual late summer event for the past five years, or so, except for two years when there was no block party due to Covid. The dates change but it’s always held on a Saturday around this time of year. I’m not sure of its […]
Time Jump
I know that the concept of time moving fast isnt exactly anything new. The idea of “where did the time go?” is something that people talk about all of the …. well, all of the time. But in my last month of being 50 years old, (I will turn 51 in September), for some reason, […]
Of God and Grief
40 days and 40 nights. Sometimes that’s how grief has felt along this journey. No one quite understands the impact that first grief flood has on you until you find your floating around and all the land is gone. Nothing but a horizon. You feel helpless, alone and lost. It has taken lots of navigating […]
Blank Slate
I’m staring at a blank screen, hoping that I’ll find something to say today that is entertaining, or at least interesting. Some weeks it’s been harder than others for me to crank out a thousand words or so on a blog site that is called the “Widows Voice.” It has started out being one of […]
You’re Never Too Old To Learn Something New
At this stage of my life, giving back to my community seems to me a very good idea. But I wonder whether I would feel this way today had Lee not died. I tend to doubt it. Lee and I loved to spend time together. We had not only planned, but were fast approaching, what […]