Posts Tagged: loss

The Comfort of A Snowy Street

March 24th, 2018
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snow shoveling woman abc news

Mother Nature delivered a surprising day of snow last week.

On the second day of Spring, she decided to ignore the calendar and do what she wanted.

The nation’s Capital received about 5 inches of wet, slushy and heavy to shovel snow that initially was magical but then quickly became work.

In my neighborhood, I am lucky.  As soon as the snow flakes stop falling, everyone comes outside to shovel and when they are finished shoveling their property, they look to see who they can help in clearing away winter’s wonder.

As you can imagine, the men are very serious … Read More

Last Minute Gifts of Comfort & Joy

December 22nd, 2017
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It’s the Friday before Christmas and it’s a good bet that you may have finished buying gifts for everyone on your list. But there’s still time to think about buying one more gift. This year you may want to put a special twist on your usual gift giving by buying a present for a loved one or friend who has died. On the face of it, the idea may sound a little strange not really. I saw this wonderful idea recently tweeted by Grief Compass in a series called the 12 Holidays of Grief and thought I would share it… Read More

What Inspires You?

December 12th, 2017
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  People from all walks of life inspire me. From the guy who delivers my mail to a person in public life who is willing to step up and speak out for a just cause. It isn’t always what they do but how they live their lives. These inspiring people are willing to take a risk, to roll the dice. They let the chips fall where they may. Because they know that we only get one shot at this big beautiful thing called life and they put themselves out there in a unique way. Even when they are afraid. Even… Read More

Reducing Holiday Stress-O-Rama

December 8th, 2017
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If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I recently posted some thoughts about December and it’s ups and downs. More than any time of the year, expectations run high and emotional triggers seem to be lie in wait all around us.  There’s shopping and decorating and socializing and it’s all supposed to go according to schedule and be everything that you want it to be. You know.  Like the holidays in the magazines and on television. Except that in real life that doesn’t happen. And it’s okay.  In fact, it’s more than okay. It’s just what life is.… Read More

Having A Thankful Heart

November 20th, 2017
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As we slide into this holiday week of Thanksgiving, my thoughts turn to the simple idea of setting aside a day to show gratitude. Yes life is crazy, messy and unpredictable. Yes the holiday season can be painful and a stinging reminder of a terrible loss or a difficult family situation. But you can sit yourself down and listen to your heart and acknowledge your limits.  Be aware of what you need before you join family and friends for any holiday event.  Express your thoughts and feelings to a trusted person.  Change up your expectations and instead focus on one… Read More

Healing Is Not Linear

August 30th, 2017
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One of the most excellent things about reading is when you discover a fictional character in a book who expresses something you have been feeling but haven’t been able to describe. This happened to me the other night while I was reading the Pulitzer Prize winning book, Olive Kitteridge by the beautiful writer and author Elizabeth Strout. In the book, I am introduced to Angie O’Meara, a middle-aged woman who plays piano in a cocktail lounge in Maine.  She has had a few drinks while playing Christmas carols during her shift and out of the corner of her eye she… Read More

Last Words & Conversations

August 1st, 2017
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Princess Diana with her sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, in London in 1995.  Photo courtesy of AFP/Getty Images Princess Diana and her extraordinary sons are back in the news given that August 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of her tragic death in a car crash while visiting Paris. Perhaps you have been reading the numerous news articles marking this significant event or you watched the HBO special where Diana’s sons, William and Harry, lovingly shared family pictures and tenderly spoke of their mother’s dedication to numerous charitable causes. While it has been 20 years since Diana died, I think… Read More

Grief Sucks

April 8th, 2017
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My Dad At A Gonzaga Rally  Dear Faithful Friends: Excuse my French, but as the title of this post suggests, grief does suck. I haven’t been on social media very much lately though it’s not for lack of trying.  Since my Dad’s death in February, I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to sit down and write something but all the words get balled up. I know I am stating the obvious but it needs to be said.  When you call something what it is, you bring it out into the open.  Maybe it just sits in… Read More

Quiet Help From A Friend

March 24th, 2017
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Life sometimes reminds me of a science experiment. Some days it’s a spontaneous experiment gone bad and then other days it can turn out to be an explosion of joy, as in a science experiment gone fabulous. The science I am reminded of today has to do with the classic law of physics that we all learned in school and that is: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Conversations can sometimes fall into this law of physics, many of them revolving around that push-pull, turning into equal and opposite reactions of a dynamic conversation or they… Read More