Christmas Eve, 2015, my husband was discharged from the hospital. Our ride home that day was one I thought we wouldn’t have been taking. He was critically ill with congestive heart failure and had spent many days in the hospital this time. In the past his stays had been shorter, so I was fighting with […]
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I just read Jane Asher’s book The Next Room. She wrote this book with her mother and it is filled with wisdom. I felt like I was in the room with them as Jane asked her mother deep questions and her answers were kind, deep, and filled with love. They were questions she […]
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This year seems to have flown by. November suddenly appeared on my calendar and all those end-of-year have-tos took over my mind like Christmas cards, gifts, gatherings, and special events. I took a deep breath and made a decision to be mindful this holiday season. I am making a list of all I think I […]
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I was a latchkey child. Back in the olden days when I was young, starting in Kindergarten I walked to and from school by myself and entertained myself after school. My favorite childhood memories came from those times. I was so creative! I loved being outside, and walking was fun for me. I loved looking […]
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A popular assignment in writing classes at the university where I taught was to ask the students to write their own obituaries. I encouraged the students to write from the perspective of their futures as if they were 60 to 80 years old, reflecting on what they had accomplished in their lives. The students had […]
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After my husband died, I found myself sitting in my usual chair on the lani where we used to spend time every day. The sky was still cerulean with puffy clouds gently transforming as they drifted by. I felt his presence in his chair next to mine. Every day we were together here sharing […]
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I heard a rustling in the dry leaves under my avocado tree. When I tried to check it out, a whole family rushed out: a rooster, a hen, and 5 chicks. They ran for their lives away from me. Chicken families tend to stick together to travel from one destination to the next I […]
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Do you ever get to the end of the day and feel further behind from when the day started? That’s not uncommon. Often, our To Do Lists are much longer than can possibly be accomplished in just one day, yet we keep plodding through with time slipping away and the list getting longer. Here are […]
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My mother stayed in my home for several months before she transitioned. She had a meningioma, a non-malignant brain tumor which was not treatable. During this time, she lost weight, and sometimes she would seem like she was living in a different realm. My dad had died several years before, and she stopped smiling […]
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In early grief, self-isolation is common. Frequently, we are not interested in conversation and talking to anyone may seem like a chore. We may not even feel like getting out of bed or getting up off the couch. Being outside may feel insecure, so hibernating indoors, waiting for all the pain to fade away, may […]
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