Grief is like…
Grief is like waves pounding on the seashore. At first, the waves come in, piled one upon the other, tumbling in confusion and pounding hard. Gradually they slow down. At first, grief seems to knock us down every minute. Gradually, there’s more time between waves. We still get knocked down from time to time. — […]
Today is my 13th anniversary.
The past few weeks, I have felt a heaviness like something is not quite right in the world. I didn’t think much of it. A lot is going on in my world, and I usually attribute my heaviness to life in general! However, deep down, I know what the heaviness is about… my anniversary. I […]
A parent’s greatest revenge…
I love the quote: “a parent’s greatest revenge is when your kids have kids”. I twist this quote a bit to say that once my kids have children of their own, then maybe they will understand just a wee bit the struggle I went through as a grieving solo parent after Keith died. The other […]
Mother’s Day
Becoming a mother was one of the most profound events in my life. When each of my children was born, my life changed forever. I’ll never forget the experience with my firstborn – one moment I was pregnant, and the next, I was holding my newborn son in my arms and rejoicing with my husband. […]
Keith’s Birthday
April 10th was Keith’s birthday. He would have turned 59! Yes, he was 15 years older than me – a reality that would cause me to pause every once in a while. I used to think that when I was 65, he would be 80, and we could both be retiring – me from work […]
The Power of Shared Experiences
This week, nine of us came together to talk about our children, solo parenting, and widowhood. We laughed, we cried, we supported each other, and we ate chocolate! Our children ranged in age from 3 months to 16 years old. Our widowhood ranged from 5 months to 12 years. The two hours sped by as […]
Blue Monday
This past Monday (the 3rd Monday of January) has been labelled “Blue Monday.” Apparently, it is the most depressing day of the year. If you can believe it, there is an actual formal for calculating this day that includes weather conditions, our debts (Christmas bills are arriving), failed New Year’s resolutions, and low motivation. It […]
12 years, 6 months less one week…
I finished shredding Keith! On Sunday, in a completely unplanned and spontaneous moment, I attacked the last box of papers from Keith and began ripping them. I have been shredding and burning his paperwork in spurts since he died. Believe it or not, all the shredding I did before I moved from Calgary to Ontario […]
One word to drive your year
I am amazed at how one day can put you on a new path. Yesterday it was December 31, 2014, and today January 1, 2015, and here I am making decisions about how I would like the year to unfold. Why can’t I do this any other day of the year? Why do I need […]
Lost Cheer
I was at a Christmas party on the weekend where I didn’t know many people (for a grieving introvert, that’s as painful as it sounds). A group of people was discussing the many reasons why they didn’t feel the holiday spirit this year – all very reasonable, valid, and appropriate reasons to be a Grinch, […]