Resurrection is the theme of the day for Christians everywhere. But whether this day is a religious celebration for you, or a bunny hop, or just another Sunday…those of us who grieve have a unique knowledge of the experience of death and resurrection. Because when our loved one died, we did too. The person who did not know what living in a…
Widowed Suddenly
The Wall
“But mostly, I cried because my life had been going full speed for so long and now it had just stopped, like running right into a big brick wall, knocking the wind and the fight right out of me. And I didn’t know if I’d ever even wanted to get up and start breathing again.” – Sarah Dessen This quote embodies the day I was notified and the…
My Death Wish
Filling in for Jackie today with a post I wrote almost four years ago. Even today, I can clearly remember the feeling of wanting to be dead. It would have been terrifying if I were capable of feeling anything besides empty, but in that moment all I wanted was to be with Phil. Of all the words I have written over the past 5.8 months the ones I share…
not me.
after all that’sbeen happeningthe last week, i’m pretty sickof talking about myself, so here’s lifeas viewed throughsomeone else’s eyes.(i’m pretty proud of her).
“It Can’t Take Away What You’ve Lost ….
Jim and me …. at the huge surprise party he managed to truly pull off, for my 40th. … but it is something.” The above title and sentence was a line from last night’s episode of “E.R.”.* It stopped me …… I literally stopped and stared at the screen. And no, it wasn’t because it was George Clooney who said it. He was playing his…
How Did You Two Meet?
Recently I spent eight days with one of my favorite people in the world. You all know her as our Tuesday blogger, I call her tacalla. You’ve heard one or the other of us use that term here on the blog (tacalla is the Spanish word for two things that share the same name), as a way of explaining our shared Michel/lleness. Just imagine for a minute…
i’m a jerk…a widowed jerk
I am strong. I am brave. I am a survivor. I am usually empathetic and kind. But…… Sometimes I’m an angry whiner. I wallow in my self-pity and the life that I now exist in. I realize that life is a gift and that we must be grateful for the amount of time we spend with our loved ones and upon this Earth…..But there are times I can’t help…
for madeline.
on saturday some of the most important people in our lives will be with us as we celebrate maddy’s third birthday. again. (yeah, maddy’s birthday sort of runs from her actual birthdate of march 24th to her estimated due date of mid may). she and her friends will be beating a piñata, eating cupcakes, and throwing things around our backyard…
Even Deeper ….
…. purging.Last week I told you that I was purging my home and attic and getting things organized.What I didn’t tell you …. was how deeply I was purging.You can see that there’s a lot of “stuff” in my garage, but you most likely can’t make anything out (due to my fabulous skills as a photographer).But there’s something there …. on the right…
Remembering
I was looking for the perfect quotation or saying for a friend going through her hero’s angel-versary and came across this excerpt. May you remember your love in the best of times and worst…and may your lives be enhanced through that action…As the four year mark creeps up on me, remembrance has been one thing to get me through the present.This…
give me a reason
In any tragedy, early loss or hard lesson, we look for a reason behind it. The “why”. Over the last three years I have searched for the explanation, or rationale, for Jeff’s death and all the aftermath of his loss. Not the reason written on his autopsy certificate or the coroner’s report. Something deeper. Something less concrete but still as…
one week from today.
i’m one week away from the day that my gift to madeline becomes something that people will publicly judge, both positively and negatively. some will praise the “story,” some will criticize the writing. some will find something to relate to and others will wonder how the hell i “did it.” i’m ready for all of that, but more than …









