It’s only February but wheels are already in motion for another season of changes. My oldest will be a senior in high school next school year. I’ve heard that year is hard on many parents with all the changes it represents. Crossing each of those milestones without his dad feels heavy. I know it might […]
Widowed Emotions
A Win-Win Situation
I begin this post with a disclamer. I do not, nor ever have, been employed by the supermarket chain Winn Dixie, nor did I write the book Because of Winn Dixie, although it’s a great dog story. That honor belongs to the incredible children’s author Kate DiCamillo. I am, however, the loving dog mom to […]
Song Sung Blue
“Me and you are subject to the blues now and then” And oh boy did the ‘now and then’ arrive. And they were triggered by watching the new ‘Song Sung Blue’ movie. Go figure. I love Neil Diamond. And his song ‘Sweet Caroline’ has been “our song” for Vern and I since way back […]
Touch Deprivation
A friend and I were recently talking about the touch deprivation experienced in widowhood. It’s one of those extra layers of loss that not everyone thinks about. But it reminds me of everyone touting the importance of skin-to-skin contact when a new baby is born. We use touch to express affection, and I don’t mean […]
What is widowhood asking of me today?
At 1,748 days out has its question changed? When I walked my husband out to the coroner’s van in our driveway we were 51 years 9 months married. I was sending him off, in the custom of our culture, to a place unknown to me. Saying the first of many goodbyes, I had no […]
The Dance Crew
Last week, I spent 4 perfect days in Cabo with a handful of my widow friends. It takes a little more work to get to Mexico, so our entire crew wasn’t able to join for this one. But the 5 of us made the most of our time together. Contrary to what an outsider might […]
Nomadic Musings
Lately, for some reason, I’ve been especially nostalgic for my home state of New Jersey. Maybe it’s the news coverage and all the dire forecasts of the meterologists that have that state, and many others, under warnings for a storm of historic proportions currently spreading across the nation and set to paralyze normal life this […]
Cold Morning, Warm Heart
Love is the engine in the many tasks that make up a life. As a lucky grandma, I am called to assist now and again. just one of many privileges that make up my life. Still alive am I, widowed and all. As I near the letting go of my Wednesday blog task of […]
What’s My Purpose?
I try to use the first month of a new year to take a good look at my life … do some deep diving, reviewing, thinking, planning. What’s working well? What do I need to change? What new things do I want to try? What do I need to leave behind? What mistakes have I […]
Friendship and Grief
Emily is out of town this week. This repost on friendship and grief is worth another read form her 2024 blog post! __________________ Over the last week, I’ve been reflecting on friendship. When you lose your partner, often you also lose your best friend. Losing your best friend changes the dynamics of how you share […]
Time and Possessions
This week was a whirlwind and it was Saturday afternoon when I’d realized I hadn’t queued up a new post! So apologies there everyone. I also managed to completely lose track of even what the date was by week’s end. I’m still feeling rather positive about being busy though. And unlike the many times in […]
Respiratory Infection and the Healing Power of Sleep
What day is it, anyway? It feels sort of strange to completely drop out of life and sleep for 2 1/2 days. Turns out it was just the medicine I needed. Hearing about friends who had a terrible cough for weeks on end, I tried using a mask in certain public spaces and crossed my […]