Everybody is creative. Think about that. What do you create? What do you want to create? I’ve spent my life creating things without really thinking about it. I’ve created a family (with help from my family members of course!) I’ve created the books I’ve written. I’ve created groups to learn new things. I’ve created costume, […]
When dealing with loss, we often find ourselves sitting alone. In this space, it is easy to start slipping down into sadness, missing the one we lost. If I start to arrive at that spot, there are a couple of things I may do. First, in the silence of sitting alone, meditation can bring you […]
When I was growing up, I was always doing things to impress my parents, to see if they were watching. Most times they didn’t. After I left home, I would do things to impress my husband to see if he was watching, but generally he wasn’t impressed. Then I started doing things that I could […]
I read a short book today named A Pocket Guide to Gratitude by one of our Reclaiming Your Joy After Loss group members, Karen Schaal. It reminded me of my journey with gratitude that I thought I will share with you. Reflecting now, I can see clearly the division in my life from before I […]
Several months after Ron died, a good friend of ours who was much younger died suddenly. Feeling a deep connection with his wife, I immediately wrote her a letter including everything I could think of that she needed to know at that moment. She had not thought before this at all about what would happen […]
I have a strong memory from years ago when I bumped into a colleague at the University. She had recently returned to teaching after her husband died suddenly in the classroom while lecturing. She had a far-away slight smile and few words. I understood her reluctance for casual conversation, but I noticed spots of moisturizer […]
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 […]
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