writing when inspired about the often overlooked
I wrote about the October-almost-November Feeling here in this blog space. It was a few years after Gordon died and first posted it last year. It references the “anniversary reaction/grief” as it is commonly known. This year it’s a bit more noticeable for a couple of reasons I suppose. 1) It’s the anniversary when this…
There I was in Michigan at a Church Conference with a sick husband by the time we arrived.  After a night of chills and fever and a Dr. who prescribed much needed antibiotics. Still too sick to travel home or attend the conference we had no choice but to stay put – wondering why we were there. I…
In silence, Lord, I feel now the curious blend of grief and gladness in me over the endings that the ticking and the twirling of things brings. (Ted Loder, “I Teeter on the Brink of Endings” – Guerrillas of Grace, Page 83.) These lines from Ted Loder’s poem capture my pensive mood today. It’s Ronnie’s…
Today, August 28, 2011, I remember Brenda Jane in my own quiet way, releasing a green balloon into the air on the bluff above Lake Michigan at Ft. Sheridan beach. She would be 51 years old today. A tiny premie, she lived only 7 hours. I never knew her. I have no grave to visit…
Today I read a post by Caleb Wilde a 6th generation funeral director and friend of my son, Todd. I was struck by the truth of his post and I especially like his ending. Thank you Caleb Probably one of the more insensitive things you can say to the bereaved at a funeral is, “I…
Bye Cya August 5, 2008 it hit me . . . three years ago, this day was the last time I saw my brother. I had asked him to come to Illinois. Mom had been sick that summer; we almost lost her. She was out of the hospital, but still not well enough for me…
Lord, as our lives dip, turn, rise, flip, and roll Help us to remember . . . You have the controls of our lives. There is no problem with Your skill as an operator. Our response is to simply rest in this confidence as we move through the days . . . weeks . ….
I created and framed these pics for my mom for Mothers’ Day, 2006, 5 months after she had lost her third child and I had lost my last sibling: “The world loves closure, loves a thing that can, as they say,be gotten through. This is why it comes as a great surprise to find…
Hey Gordon, I’m sitting here at the Garden Cafe, eating a Rice Krispy bar in your honor. I am sure you’d say it’s not as good as Carol’s and you’d probably be right. I can still picture you sitting at your counter in your kitchen out in Billlings, enjoying every bite of one of her…
Today, I share words I jotted down a few Octobers after the November 8th anniversary of Gordon’s death. For the first few years, this time of year just kind of caught up with me before I “remembered.” Now I know . . . I welcome and plan for this time of remembering by building in…