Posts Tagged: parents

Parents Are Human Too

June 28th, 2013
Posted By:

While celebrating my son’s birthday recently, he asked me once again what it was like the day he was born.
I think every child likes to reminisce about the day of their birth and what everyone was doing as they were arriving into the world.  His questions about how long I was in labor, what was happening in the hospital and what Daddy was doing were expected.
But that conversation evolved into a bittersweet conversation about his Dad and some of the frustrating health issues he had before his death.  His Dad (my husband) was diabetic and injected insulin.  He … Read More

An Emotional Box

March 25th, 2013
Posted By:

As I continue to slowly reorganize my freshly painted bedroom, it is amazing the things I find stored under my bed. Last week I wrote about my long put-off decision to finally paint and reorganize my bedroom following my husband’s death.  Now, as I pick and choose what I am bringing back into that room, I am dealing with some of the things that I pushed aside after his traumatic death and choose not to think about. In this instance, it is an old Estee Lauder box that once held cosmetics and perfume.  I loved the different colored berries pictured… Read More

Be Careful Out There

March 11th, 2013
Posted By:

On Saturday, I went to visit my parents who are in their eighties and my brother who has Down’s Syndrome. It was a beautiful day, full of sunshine and hints of the coming of Spring.  We had a delicious lunch at a local Irish pub and some good solid conversation and then it was time for me to “toddle on home,” as my great friend Ellen would say. I stopped at the gas station near my parent’s house because I like to take advantage of the cheaper gas prices in Rockville, Maryland.  There were no other cars in the gas… Read More

The Loss of A Child

March 5th, 2013
Posted By:

When I have been in support group sessions and listened as people have talked about losing a spouse, I can almost feel the unspoken emotional support developing within the group; a sense of bonding, a feeling of “having been there” in the expressed feeling or thought.  A supportive dialogue sometimes follows and I’ve heard people say after the sessions that they have felt a sense of personal progress in working through their own emotions because they heard someone else express familiar thoughts and feelings. Being around other widows and widowers can be a blessing after you have lost a spouse. … Read More

Two Life Tips

February 18th, 2013
Posted By:

Say Ohmmmm! My mother gets more magazines than anyone I know.  She always has a huge stack of magazines near her lounge chair and after she whips through them she is always happy to give them away. This weekend I stopped by my parents’ house to visit, catch-up and check in on them and she gave me at least 25 magazines to take home.  Oh don’t worry.  My Mom still has more magazines for herself! Stories about staying healthy and de-stressing always pop out at me and while reading a December 2012 Family Circle magazine, I came upon an article… Read More

Steve Martin Remembers His Father

February 7th, 2013
Posted By:

Comedian Steve Martin in 2011 Comedian Steve Martin is obviously an incredibly multi-talented, award-winning funny guy. To me, Steve Martin is one of those celebrities that I just accept as being the way they are as they present themselves in their work.  I don’t think of him as a little boy or as having parents.  He is who he is as he appears in the roles of his television and his film work. To the public, Steve Martin is the hysterical stand-up comedian who played the “wild and crazy guy” and many other characters on Saturday Night Live or he… Read More

Newtown, Connecticut

December 15th, 2012
Posted By:

Murdering a child is an unspeakable act. Yesterday’s horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT., which involved the shooting of 27 people, including 20 young children, leaves us asking questions about our culture and praying for the parents and the community at large. As a parent myself, I try to place myself in their situation, but I cannot begin to fathom the depth of pain and shock those parents are experiencing.  My heart goes out them and I wish we could take it all away. We must talk openly about this incident, as hard as it is,… Read More

A Dose of Kindness

October 5th, 2012
Posted By:

Visiting people who are sick is one of the kindest acts we can ever practice.  Sitting and talking, holding their hand and listening seem so simple to the healthy but those things are so essential in helping the ill know that they matter, that they are not forgotten even though they are no longer able to independently move around. Bringing about a smile or laughter through a funny story is just as important as any medicine prescribed by a doctor.  Laughter, in particular, is a powerful distraction from pain and illness. One of my sisters and her husband are compassionately… Read More

No More School Days

August 22nd, 2012
Posted By:

Me and My Son Lately, I’ve been feeling as though I forgot to do something and I keep trying to pinpoint what it is. The other day I was driving around doing errands, letting my mind wander and I think I finally figured it out. This is the first time in 16 years that I am not helping my son get ready for school. I was in a big box store over the weekend and a separate section had been set up just for school supplies.  I watched the parents with their children buying notebooks (No! Not that kind!  I… Read More