Finding choices at the bottom of the hill
When I’m in an unfamiliar place, I like to explore on foot. A couple of months ago, while out of town with my son for a band event, I...
Pay attention to the pain
My right shoulder hurts. It has been hurting for a while, like a few months, or maybe a couple of years, or – now that I think about it –...
Open letter to a grieving sibling
Hello. This letter is to you, and just you. You are grieving as part of a family group, yes – but you have your own unique grief as a...
When to hold on, when to let go
I love having a yard but don’t have much time to do anything about how it looks. Frequently the weeds rival the flowers in height, and I...
On this day
On this day in 2014, three years ago, my brother died. He was killed by a drunk driver who also died in the crash. On this day, here in...
Grief and weather
I know people whose emotions fluctuate in response to the weather, but I never used to be one of them. Similar to what my father calls a...
Something will always be wrong
Not long ago, I had one of those days. They come along periodically, and randomly, it seems. I wake up with a nagging sensation of...
What could be helpful to say?
When someone close to a friend or family member dies, we often wonder: What can I possibly say? We wrestle with our sadness and...
Climbing my Dawn Wall
As I move along my grief journey, I continue to find the days unpredictable. Every once in a while I fall apart for no discernable...
Grief is a long game
I am a goal-oriented person. I think this is because I have a gene for it, although it may be a combination of nature and nurture. My...