I watch him shuffle around the house and push back the sadness. He doesn’t have much time. There’s nothing left for him. Simon’s thirteen-years-old and in constant pain. His back legs are bent and twisted. He’s almost blind and deaf. Still, I look at this dog and hate what I have to do. My […]
You think you know how you’ll feel, but you don’t. When someone close to you dies, sometimes you react differently than expected. When my father passed last Sunday, I was ready to feel one way. But surprisingly, five unexpected emotions tugged at me. Happiness for him – My 82 year-old father was released from an […]
You walk the halls with other dazed-looking family members and wonder what brought you to this strange facility called hospice. It’s a place of intersections. On one hand, it’s the world of the living –busy and bustling with plans and schedules. On the other,it’s the world of the dying, the silent, unknowable spirit world. Here are […]
The other day my son Paul suggested something so disturbing, so cringe-inducing, so horrific, I had to hold onto my kitchen counter for support. “I need a new bureau. Let’s go back to Ikea.” All I could do was shake my head, repeating the word, “No.” I cannot. I will not go back to IKEA […]
Have you ever wanted to tell someone something, but the words never came? Maybe you were embarrassed or got busy, but the moment didn’t arrive. And then it was too late. And you have regrets. This happened to me recently. Here are 6 things I wish I had told Joyce, my mother-in-law. You amazed me– From the first moment my […]
None of us know when we’ll be tested in life. Some tests are big. Some are small. A test my husband Randy will never forget came on a June night, involving several confused neighbors, two police cruisers, and a Chihuahua named Poopsie. That late afternoon I’d brought Poopsie home from the pound. Our two little […]
I drive by our town’s carnival and feel the tug. I smell the popcorn and hear the tinny music. I see families, teenagers, and the elderly making their annual pilgrimage. Memories take me back. And that’s when I realize this event has seen me through six major life stages… The Small Child – At 5, […]
Have you ever had the urge to get away by yourself? Just luxuriate in your own company? I recently spent a weekend alone, which was…okay…incredible. And afterwards, I realized it helped in 8 vital ways… First, I didn’t have to go far. I travelled thirty minutes to a beautiful seaside inn on Long Island Sound. […]
I came upon my wedding picture recently, taken June 7th, 1980. My husband Randy and I were 23 years old. We knew nothing much except we loved each other. But looking at this young bride, I gave her kudos for one thing. She knew how to select a mate. To that end, I have 8 thoughts for any […]
Anyone who reads this blog knows I write about my Dad… a lot. He’s always on my mind since he suffers from late-stage Parkinson’s disease. And yet there’s another person I’m always thinking of, who keeps the machinery of my father’s world moving like clockwork, who’s as necessary, irreplaceable and vital as the sun is to the earth. And that’s […]
