Over You — Miranda Lambert

June 20th, 2013
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Miranda Lambert
We like to think that the people we love will remain with us forever.
No one wants to think of a time or be faced with a time when a loved one gets sick, is in an accident or worse and will no longer be here.
But unfortunately, sadly and even tragically, life does not work the way we want, as hard as we always try to will it to work our way.
The reason why I am drawn to the haunting song, “Over You,” sung here by award-winning country music singer Miranda Lambert, who also co-wrote this … Read More

Back to Kindergarten

June 19th, 2013
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My Dad is the kind of guy who is constantly ripping and cutting articles out of newspapers and magazines and mailing them to people he thinks will appreciate what he has found.  It drives my Mom crazy that he does this before she has even had a chance to read the paper or the magazine.  But after 60 years of marriage, my father continues to clip away in his own little world. When I saw my Dad this past weekend for Father’s Day, he had a column that he had recently cut from a newsletter and he handed it to… Read More

Your Dad Is Here

June 16th, 2013
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I see my husband in my son in small ways:  the way he rolls up his long sleeved shirts, the set of his jaw when he is annoyed or determined to do something he really wants to accomplish and the way he plays chicken with his car’s gas tank and won’t fill it up until it is almost empty. When I see those traits it is bittersweet: they make me laugh and but they also make me feel a little sad and wistful.    “He is still with us,” I think to myself.  My husband had a very strong personality so… Read More

Fathers & Sons

June 15th, 2013
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Today I’m going to visit my Dad and celebrate Father’s Day a day early. My son won’t be joining me because he is out of town visiting his girlfriend.  Even if my son were here in town, I would still be emotionally torn on Father’s Day.My Dad is still alive and our family is lucky and blessed to have him. But my son’s father, who was also my husband, died nine years ago and the celebration of Father’s Day makes me feel guilty and conflicted. Guilty because my father is alive and his isn’t.  Conflicted because I want to make… Read More

Life’s Garden of Loved Ones

June 11th, 2013
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Two tropical storms have moved through the Washington, DC area recently and we are getting more than our usual dose of rain.  Not complaining because I like the rain.  It’s good for our gardens and everything feels clean after a good downpour. This summer I am trying to pay more attention to the plants in my yard which I guess I think of as my garden even though they are not all planted in one contained space.  I planted some lettuce, rosemary and basil along with geraniums and marigolds.  Watching things grow is hopeful! As you wake-up and embrace today’s… Read More

Digging Deep

June 6th, 2013
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I have previously written about people I know who are fighting the good fight against cancer.  Three of them at this point are in good health while one is gearing up for the fight of his life. He is getting ready for surgery next week and after that he enters an intense, aggressive program aimed at totally killing this sucker in its tracks.  He has an amazing attitude towards this scary situation and I admire his calm and even demeanor.   Put in the same situation, I know I would not be faring so well and I don’t think I… Read More

Unwanted Care

June 5th, 2013
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How do you try to take care of someone when they don’t want you to? I’m sure you must know a person you care about and perhaps even love who doesn’t want you to help them even though it is obvious that help is very much needed. You understand the frustration right? It’s the frustation of no matter how hard you try to offer various kinds of support, you never are able to do the right thing, the thing that will make them happy. This is what I know I can do: I call on the telephone, I listen, I… Read More

Congratulations to The Class of 2013!

June 4th, 2013
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After (hopefully) fours years of hard, hard work and spending thousands and thousands of dollars on college tuitions, remarks by a notable person — whether an author, celebrity, scientist, politician or even the First Lady or the President of the United States — definitely seems in order this time of year before degrees are handed out at universities across the nation. For the parents, relatives and friends of the graduate, and even those of us who have already graduated, whether from a university, a community college or the School of Street Smarts, the commencement speech is also a time to… Read More

Your Personal Path

May 30th, 2013
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Unlike many things in life, there is no right or wrong way to grieve. There’s really just your way. Whether it’s through talking, crying, or slowly processing your feelings privately, grief must be acknowledged.  If you try to suppress your grief feelings, they will only come back later on and sometimes they come back in unhealthy ways. Even though others will probably try to suggest that you should do certain things at certain points in your grief process, it really and truly is up to you and what you feel comfortable doing.  There is no schedule. Some people bury their… Read More