Grief

So Blessed

Today I talked with a friend whose father passed away a year ago. We shared stories, experiences, and emotions. As I thought about our conversation, I realized how many friends I have that have lost a parent just in the last year. It’s a lot. I mean there seems to be a lot of people […]

Setting My Mind Aright

I have been replaying the events of the last few weeks over and over in my head. I wonder if I could have and/or should have done something different to affect the outcome. I try to remember that I did the best I could and that God is God and I am not. Today I […]

Stress Relief

My sister came for the weekend, so I made an appointment to get a massage at the prompting of the family. I talked to the guy a little bit and told him I felt like my whole body was a big ball of tension. After only a few minutes, the massage felt so good I […]

The Great Exodus

The day after my dad’s funeral was the great exodus. I was grateful that my out of town family had stayed for 3 weeks, but it was time for everyone to make their way back home – except for one. I asked my brother if he would stay a few more days so we wouldn’t […]

Dad’s Funeral

Preparing for almost 2 weeks seemed like an agonizing wait. Then suddenly, the day came for dad’s funeral. The visitation the night before was a small gathering of good friends. Among them were my sister’s best friend from high school and some close friends of mine who also came from out of town. It was […]

Waiting and Preparing

After my dad’s death, there was almost 2 weeks before his funeral. During that time, my brothers, sister, nephew and his wife spent the majority of time at the house with me and my mom. My sons, daughter in law and grandkids stopped by from time to time, and we video chatted with my sister […]

RAWtools

I turned the news on briefly tonight to see if they were showing the local annual Parade of Lights. While it was on, they highlighted an organization called RAWtools. They take donated and surrendered guns and make garden tools out of them. As I listened, I thought of the scripture in Isaiah 2:4, ““They will […]

The Coffee Tree

When my sister was a child, she seemed pretty interested in plants. So, my mom bought her a plant cart and accessories for her birthday one year. Little did she realize that she would one day have her own large garden that she cultivates and sells the produce. My sister also worked for Starbucks for […]

New Face

Tonight I watched the repeat of a story about a young man who received a face transplant. I had heard bits and pieces of the story that came to light in November. But tonight I learned and saw much of the story. The young man got a second chance at life after years of dealing […]

Loving Tribute

A certain priest and friend has been instrumental in my life and that of my boys. He helped me to discern about moving to help my parents. He traveled a lot and ended up moving to be closer to his parents as well. His mother passed away a few days ago. Today I came across […]