loss

  • Storytelling, Burdens & Grief

    Storytelling, Burdens & Grief

    So, you may have noticed (or not, it’s ok) that I went out, changed the look of my blog, announced it, and then let it sit. Is anyone really surprised by this? Yeah, me either. It’s kind of on point for my spotty writing over the last eight years. But today I decided to take…

  • A Eulogy from a Chosen Daughter

    I wrote her obituary… “A beautiful eulogy!” “I could tell you wrote it.” Those words… … an outline of a person. A collection of moments – of milestones. Not the person. Never the person. Not a eulogy. An obituary. This is a eulogy. Random memories. On August 28th, I lost my parent. She wasn’t related…

  • Pick Up the Phone

    Thursday night a good friend of mine experienced what I imagine is one of the most profoundly painful and tragic moments in her life. Her 30-year-old son murdered her husband at their home. Their tragedy played across the local news with photos of police officers entering the lobby of their condo, their son pinned to…

  • Give Me These Moments Back

    The day I met her she burst out of a crate, puffed up into a large 1 lb. ball of defiant fur and hissed her displeasure at a very surprised German Shepherd.  Thelma remained curious though a bit taken aback by the sheer hubris of this uppity, fluffy snack.  Her sister, who later became known…

  • My Beautiful Kitten

    “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ― Anatole France I’ve never been good at eulogizing.  The words I write and say fail. How can you possibly sum up a life in a sentence? How can you convey the depth of love you have – the multiple layers of…

  • He Kindly Stopped for Me

    I am descended from a long line of martyrs.  Now, you might be thinking the lion snack, pyre kindle, rock dodger sort, but you’d be mistaken.  See, I’ve long suspected my family actually survived through the centuries by being fabulous finger pointers.  “Oh, you’re looking for a witch?  Have you spoken with Goody Johnson?  No…