When I was talking to Saundy the other day, she was expressing her distress about the children being held at the border. She wants to do something, but she feels helpless. I thought about her comments when I heard about the shootings this weekend. What can we do? Are we actually helpless? In situations like […]
Earlier in life, I thought 70 was pretty old. Now that I am 70, I’ve changed my mind on that. The older I get, the younger I feel. When my mother was 70, she looked and acted like my former perception of 70, so I thought that was what was in store for me. […]
In my Reclaiming Your Joy After Loss group in Facebook, Teresa suggested that I write about the joy of self-expression and self-actualization. I love this idea because participating in self-expression led to my self-actualization after Ron’s death. Throughout my life, I have thrived on self-expression, whether it be through creating a home for my family, […]
When I asked my group what they would like for me to write in a blog, Brandy mentioned the fear of going it alone after being with someone for so many years. I can understand that, and I did experience fear after Jacques died. I was afraid of a violent neighbor. I was afraid of […]
This week we celebrate freedom in the United States of America, so I decided it’s a good time to celebrate my freedom. I am grateful to live where I am so free. I am free to vote for who and what I want to. I am free to love who I want to. I am […]
Birthdays can be a big challenge. Ron’s Birthday was last week, and it really hit me hard. I thought of his big party we had to celebrate his 70th. We lived very close to a place where we could make our own wine, so months before the party we started creating our wine so it […]
Every once in a while, taking stock of where you are and what you are doing is a good idea. Today is my son’s birthday, and it’s caused me to reflect on where I have been, where I am, and where I am going. Right now I feel more grounded than I have ever been. […]
Do you feel guilty related to your grief? Don’t be surprised if you do. Just about everyone who grieves also feels guilt related to who died, what caused the death, or the grieving afterward. No emotion has caused me more pain, or amplified my loss more than guilt. Guilt is just part of what […]
Every morning I write out my gratitude list before I do anything else. This way I start my day feeling positive and smiling, recognizing how wonderful my life actually is. I listened recently to an interview Oprah did with Lynn Twist, who Is a major inspiration in my life. Lynn learned much about money, scarcity, […]
On Memorial Day, my sweet neighbor Dawn brought me a bouquet of camellias and hydrangeas in remembrance of Ron. The camellias reminded me of the first day I visited Ron at his house and he picked me a beautiful camellia to put in my hair. He was so romantic. And that led us to talk […]