Grief
Not a Saint
For the past week, I have been listening to a biography of St. Therese of Lisieux’s parents – Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin. They were extraordinary parents who served God faithfully through the joys and sorrows of their lives. Even though from their youth they wanted to be consecrated to God and not marry, circumstances […]
Back to the Cabin
My mom, sister, and I decided to make a trip to the cabin today. We knew it would be a bittersweet adventure. My mom and I went up briefly for a couple of hours a couple weeks ago. Other than that, the last time we went was over a year ago with my dad. He […]
True Strength
Many times, perhaps most, strength doesn’t meant going it alone, standing and fighting by yourself. It means relying on others, allowing others to help. Mostly, relying on God. A friend of mine’s husband died unexpectedly several years ago. As she was reflecting on the anniversary of his death, she shared a quote that I thought […]
Fine Father’s Day
I knew today would be tough without my dad here. So I tried to keep my mind on good things. I thought of many wonderful men that I have been blessed to have in my life and sent them a note. They have inspired me, kept me on the right track, and been someone for […]
Dove Wisdom
My mom and I made a trip to the cabin today. It was bittersweet. The last time we were there was a year and a half ago with my dad. Unfortunately, at that time, he had no recollection of the house he had lovingly built with family and friends 40 years ago and quickly became […]
Roses
Today at my grief support group, I told a story of how my dad found an offshoot from the rosebush that had sprouted near the sidewalk. That was not a good place for it to be, so he pulled it up and we replanted it in a bare spot. It was no more than a […]
Time For Time
Today I was a couple minutes late for the grief support group that I have been attending. It seems that I rush too much and we talked about it at the beginning of the session. At the end, the leader read the reflection for today. Once again, it really hit home. ‘When you become anxious […]
Go Up
Today I went to a grief support group. We were to tell about one of the things we loved the most about our loved one who died. I always loved how my dad took us on adventures. Even though I had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since I was 4 and couldn’t physically participate well, my dad […]
Celebrating Dad’s Birthday
Today my dad would have been 92 years old. My brother who is here visiting and I wanted to honor my dad today while helping my mom have a good day. We knew it would be difficult especially for my mom. We decided to go to the cemetery in the morning. I took my mom […]
Wind Chimes
My mom and I stopped and checked the mail on our way home from Mass tonight. It included a package from some friends. They sent a beautiful card and my mom and I wept as we read the beautiful sentiments. The card was attached to a box that contained a beautiful set of wind chimes. […]
Still Finding God 