happy birthday, my love! your 75th year took me back to when we were first wed and your dad being 50 seemed so old! i teased him calling him “half-a-century” old and he reciprocated when I turned 25 by calling me a “quarter-century” old :)) writing this story reminds me of my luck […]
Widowed Milestones
Widowhood Lessons
From a Labrador Retriever Awakened by my pet at 3:00am, I moan…. “Indy. . .” “Seriously?” A refrain I speak to my pet and my widowed life regularly. On par with life, her wee-hour pee evolves, occasionally, into something more complicated if a possum, racoon, or other nighttime critter makes an appearance. This […]
“I want to give your kids the world.”
A repost! As the twins’ birthday trip nears I have found myself caught in a whirlwind of emotions. More so than normal. Any time I’m getting ready for a trip I find myself thinking of Erik more often than I already do. So why do I continue to do it? Because traveling also makes me […]
When the Time is Right, So is the Dog
Recently, I found myself telling a good friend that dogs have often been an emotional life raft for me during challenging and lonely times, offering me a comforting space on which to rest and recover while needing to navigate the ever-changing currents of turbulent waters. First there was Hooper. In 2001, while sitting alone and […]
The Call and Response
When Traveling the Path of Grief The path we each travel to make our way through the daily ins & outs of our grief is personal and unique. As widowed people, our paths are often similar, yet different. On August 28, 2025, my husband’s birthday comes round, yet again, marking 75 years since he arrived. […]
Memories and Milestones
Yesterday, the condo unit where I lived and worked in Hackensack, NJ, once-upon-a-time, was sold. I’ve written about this building before because it holds so many memories for me, especially now living such a very different life far from a place that is still very special to me. I purchased that one-bedroom unit with my […]
Care of Self – Care for Others
Finding Balance Along the Path of Grief Is it just me? Or does widowhood feel like school sometimes? Autodidactic daily learning? Today my self-led course is about balancing care for others with care for myself. Not a new course, but one of many lessons that keeps returning until I (quote) get it right? Not sure. […]
Changing Landscapes
I realized after I posted last Saturday that it was the 2nd anniversary of when I met my log home for the first time. I do have to thank Facebook Memories for the reminder that on that very day, August 2nd, I embarked on a two hour drive with only my blind dog, Quint, by […]
If I Could Tell You One More Thing
It’s been 2,266,454 minutes since you left. In 31,784 minutes, it will be your birthday. I’m curious . . . if I could tell you just one more thing, in person, what would I choose to say? I’d love to look into your eyes again and lean in close. I’d love to see […]
New Firsts with A New Love
I remember clearly the first time I met Lynn’s parents and family… the anxiety, apprehension, excitements, all the things. Also, it was the first time we traveled on a plane together (from California to Atlanta). Every part of the trip was a new, nervous experience for me, to the extent that I privately asked a […]
Ocean Beckons
With Deep Medicine During Dan’s illness and throughout his last days on earth, the ocean brought me comfort. Words fail to capture how much it helped me, but it was something about the immensity of the sea. Boundless immensity. Unfathomable depths. Powerful enough to kill and mysteriously gentle. Home to millions of sea creatures within […]
Happy Half Birth “Daze”
This post was meant for the Saturday before the 14th, the midway point between that date and my next birthday. I take this time of year to reflect on what the first half of my personal “New Year” has presented and contemplate what the next six months might bring. It’s been an active half-year, one […]