A River of Grief

“Nothing that grieves us can be called little: by the eternal laws of proportion a child’s loss of a doll and a king’s loss of a crown are events of the same size.”        Mark Twain “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”                                                                       C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed Sorrow is masterful at […]

Death and Tragedy

Death is a reality at our age. Not only are we facing it ourselves, but we lose friends and family regularly. Even though we are expecting it, it can be a shock, But I think of us as prepared. A niece has been close to death this week. Life supports were removed because of a […]

Forgiveness…What Grief has to do with It.

I’m re-living this right now! I listened twice to Brené Brown discussing her book, Rising Strong, on Super Soul Sunday. It was the second time through when I really heard the part about forgiveness. “In order for forgiveness to happen, something has to die.”  She quoted her pastor as saying. And then she mentioned grief. […]

I acknowledge the loss…

Republished on what would have been Trayvon’s 24th birthday. …of a young man in Florida. When I read this boy’s name, one among thousands of young black men who have died for the wrong reasons, I am overwhelmed by grief and shame. The grief is for myself and every other parent and grandparent who cannot […]

Grieving from a Distance

Dear Ones, By not booking an immediate flight home when Gen died, I have created my own vacuum here in Mexico. I love it that you are all there for me when I need to call. Just a familiar voice now and then fills that lonely spot a bit. And solitude is the purpose of […]

And she’s off…

I will remember 2015 as a year of struggle. It held many wonderful experiences but also challenges and events that at times overwhelmed me with sorrow. Remembering all of the good things is a balm to my soul, but I am glad for my annual retreat. My little village in Mexico offers me healing and […]

The Letting Go

“To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal,  to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, let it go.” -Mary Oliver Aahh…it’s that letting go, isn’t it? I watch my sister […]

Oregon – I am Ashamed!

“There are gonna be moments as we go forward where we’re gonna have to come together and figure out how do we stop things like this from happening,” Obama said in brief remarks after meeting with families. “I’ve got very strong feelings about this because when you talk to the families you are reminded this […]

Saturday: Three Funerals and a Birthday Party

Why is death always a surprise. It is, after all, a foregone conclusion. There has been a turnaround. Our social calendar is filled with more celebrations of life than celebrations in life. In spite of this cumulative knowledge and no matter how many years we have lived, we are stunned when life ends for someone […]

Thinking of You

My Dear Friends. Losing a child is something that I can never contemplate. Sometimes I practice in my mind for the future – what would I do without my husband, or with the catching sorrow of losing another sister. I cannot and would not have those thoughts concerning my children and grandchildren. It is unthinkable. […]