Cry Laugh Heal

KissyFace

June 21st, 2013
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The picture posted on the Facebook page shows a CD leaning against a car dashboard with the following handwritten message written with a Sharpie:  “To KissyFace – From Your Number #1 Fan.”
On a different Facebook page, a male friend enthusiastically writes about a recent Washington Nationals baseball game, what the score was and the important plays of the game.  He then ends his post by saying how much he misses his friend.  On the same page, a different friend posts a story that was in that day’s newspaper and says, “I know you would like this story.  It’s your … Read More

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

Fast & Sweet

June 18th, 2013
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Down the street from my office, there once was an organic salad carry-out place, sort of similiar to Chop’t but not as inventive.  It went out of business many months ago and I have been watching the empty store to see what kind of business would open up in its place. My office friends and I have been discussing what we would like to see go in there (Panera got my vote) and we all assumed that the next restaurant would be serving something in the same vein as salads, and if not salads, then something healthy for people to… Read More

Live and Let Live

June 17th, 2013
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Street Sense is a small newspaper which is sold on the streets of Washington, DC by men and women who are working their way out of being homeless.  Some, but not all of the people selling the newspaper, have been to rehabilitation for drugs or alcohol. These are people working hard to develop resilience in themselves, to bounce back from hard times, and put themselves out there once again to start once again to rebuild their lives.  To me, they are all about the spirit of hope. The Street Sense vendors are always friendly and easy to talk to.  They… 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

Strawberry Fields Forever

June 14th, 2013
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Once you have tasted a juicy strawberry, fresh, fresh, fresh from the local farm where it was grown, you will never want to eat another one of those grocery store strawberries (that are white inside) ever again. For the second week in a row, strawberries were the star yesterday at the FRESH Farm Farmer’s Market near the White House.  Beautiful, red, ripe strawberries were lined up in a row just waiting to be bought and eaten.   Photo Courtesy of FRESH Farm Markets I bought a huge amount of strawberries last week and so did a friend of mine from… Read More

Embrace Your Journey

June 13th, 2013
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“Embrace Your Journey.” You may have wondered why that phrase is listed at the top of my blog underneath the title, “Cry, Laugh, Heal. “ “Embrace Your Journey” is something called a tagline, a phrase to give you — my fantastic, wonderful and supportive readers — a heads up about the things that I’m going to write about.  Things that have helped me to slowly but surely work my way through the loss of my husband, learn to be both mother and father to a young son and develop resilience.  “Embrace Your Journey” helps me to set a tone of… Read More