grief
4 Mantras For When I’m Overwhelmed
If life is really hard for you right now, I wish I could reach through the screen and give you a giant hug. Since I can’t, I wrote down my 4 Mantras For When I’m Overwhelmed; you can print it out and hang it where you’ll see it often so you can be reminded that…
10 Ways To Prepare For The Next Hard Thing
At this point in my life I have experienced more loss and hardship than most. And I’ve learned to accept that there will still be hard things to come. Sometimes people tell me I’ve had more than my fair share of suffering. Maybe that’s true, but it’s not comforting. Because there isn’t a suffering quotient….
Brave is a Choice
I’m not exaggerating when I say my life feels more like a Lifetime movie than reality. My dad died eight hours after giving birth to my first kid. My husband battled one kind of cancer the year we were engaged and died from another kind a month before our kid number two was born. I…
For When Grief Hits You From Out of Nowhere
It’s been almost four years since my husband died. I’m mostly doing great. I still get sad sometimes. Other times I’m disappointed or angry that this is my real life. But, on the whole, life is good. We’ve found new routines and ways of doing things. We feel settled. I skirt the edge of grieving,…
Good Things Are Scary; Disappointment is Comfortable
I have a very serious fear of good things happening to me. You laugh, but I’m dead serious. I have a few really big dreams that feel completely impossible and I have no idea how (or if) they’ll ever work out. And so when some of these dreams started inching forward last week, I had…
Disappearing Act: Let Your Grief Breathe
I disappeared this year. Not just a quiet period away from social media, but a full on disappearance from my life. I never quite made it to hang out with friends and I sat in the hallway during church, unable to engage with a sermon or much of the music. When I sat down to…
Beginnings Are Complicated
I’ve never had a new beginning without a huge loss at the same time. My husband, Keith, had cancer the year we were engaged. My dad died eight hours after my son (the first grandkid) was born. My husband died one month before our daughter was born. For me, new beginnings are complicated. I’ll never…
Why You Never Leave Your Grieving Friend Alone
“You’ve got so much going on. I didn’t want to burden you with my hard stuff.” “I didn’t want to make you more sad. I try and only share stuff that will cheer you up.” “I wasn’t sure if I should say anything. I hate to bother you.” I’ve heard dozens of versions of those…
When You Feel Broken At Christmas
Everywhere I look, there are signs of a shiny, bright, perfect Christmas. Smiling family photos. Perfectly decorated homes and trees. Happy people enjoying happy friends at happy Christmas parties. Christmas movies that elicit giggles and end in magical first kisses. Cookies and hot cocoa and fires and snow (or at least dreams of it). Sometimes…
9 Tips for a Quiet and Simple Holiday Season
Each Christmas season is an exceptional one. It’s another Christmas without Keith. Caleb is always so excited for this season: he runs around wearing his Santa hat and I often find him sitting and staring at the Christmas tree. Libby adores Santa and all of the silly Christmas movies (although, she’s quite offended the Grinch would steal…
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