Posts Tagged: friends

Listening Can Be Powerful

October 12th, 2011
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Every day I try to maintain a positive attitude about life.  I remind myself that I am blessed for having family, friends, a home, a job and good health.  I tell myself that this day is unique and I have an opportunity to do something I didn’t get to do yesterday.  But it is still an anxious world we live in these days and we need to be aware of its’ toll on others.

I am certain that God has a plan for all of us.  I am sure there are people out there who don’t believe in God or … Read More

Be Careful Out There

September 7th, 2011
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A good friend of mine recently introduced me to Gospel Star Marvin Sapp and his daily spiritual insights called “Marvin’s Motivational Moment.”  Family, jobs, personal interests and personal predicaments.  The combination of all these factors leads to us living in a rushed and complex world that can easily be stressful and overwhelming.  That gives us all the more reason to stake out personal time to evaluate what’s happening and regroup; to take stock of what’s happening to us, and I mean REALLY happening to us, instead of making our usual schedules of endless commitments and appointments as our top priority.… Read More

One Hilarious Beach Memory

August 13th, 2011
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Photo By Emily Noonan My son and I vacation at Bethany Beach, the same beach we have been enjoying since he was a toddler.  It’s also the same beach where I vacationed as a child.  This conjures up all sorts of memories for both of us and it gives my son a sense of stability.  We can’t imagine going anywhere else. The first time we vacationed in Bethany after my husband’s death, it was jarring, but we stayed positive and survived.  I had some meltdowns but they were in private.  More importantly, keeping up the vacation tradition gave us confidence… Read More

Laughing Matters

August 2nd, 2011
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Friends Can Be Life Savers The most wasted of all days is one without laughter — e.e. Cummings  A few months ago on a Sunday afternoon, one of my friends and I met up for lunch at a neighborhood place that is casual and comfortable or as we say, the restaurant was “cheap and cheerful.”.  We both can be major league talkers but we both also understand the importance of listening so it’s not as though we are always talking over each other.  A lot of serious things were happening to both of us and we needed to commiserate. The… Read More

Harry Potter & His Parents

July 22nd, 2011
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Hi readers!  Today we have a guest blogger, Ryan O’Toole, a rising senior at Fordham University, and in the interest of full disclosure, my son: Isn’t it funny that there are words for people whose spouses die?  A woman whose husband dies is called a widow, while a man whose wife dies is called a widower. Now the sheer existence of these words might not seem odd to you at face value, but doesn’t it strike you as a weird oversight of the English language that we do not have words for children who lose a parent?  I have thought… Read More

Solo to See Owen Danoff

July 11th, 2011
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In keeping with the many unknowns that you face on your journey to rebuild your life after losing a loved one, going out by yourself for social events is on that master list of things that is easier for men to do than it is for women.  At least it is for me. It’s not like I never did anything by myself when my husband was alive, but it’s different now.  I miss many things about not being part of a couple at social events, such as not having someone in the car so you can talking about the evening… Read More

Feeling Like A Firework

July 2nd, 2011
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  This July 4th holiday weekend may be your first holiday without a loved one.  It may be full of poignant memories, making it difficult to participate and enjoy the fireworks, parades and backyard cook-outs. I recently found some helpful suggestions on healing from Capital Hospice’s Survivor’s Guide and thought I would share the following in case you are having a difficult time: — It is okay to feel lousy.  Some days will be worse than others.  There is no logical progression to these feelings and that is okay. –Cry if you need to. –In dealing with guilt associated with… Read More

To Party Or Not

April 10th, 2011
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This year I have had two large parties at my house…and to my surprise, I have enjoyed myself.  One was for a family member who was celebrating a BIG birthday and the other was on New Year’s Day for my son and my best friends.  This may not sound like a big deal — but it is. With the exception of family events that happened after my husband’s death, I haven’t been ready to celebrate anything or plan for a party that would take place just to have fun.  In order to give a party, you have to be ready… Read More