It was wonderful to wake up to beautiful blue skies and sunshine this morning. My normal behavior on a day like today would be to pull the covers back over my head and stay in bed, but that was not the case this morning. Today marks two years since losing Randy. It is a sad day indeed, one that could send me tumbling right back down the mountain I am working so hard to climb. Today is very different than this date last year. There is more to it than just being distanced from

Last week I began to have an overwhelmingly anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I haven't been able to shake it. It feels sort of like a combination of too much sugar, caffeine, and adrenaline all rolled into one, except I haven’t gone overboard on any of those lately. It has kept me awake into the wee hours of the last four nights. Amazingly, our bodies have the ability to be aware of and process life before our minds even recognize what's going on. So, what has be

We often use sticky notes to help us remember to do important things. We stick them in places that will call our attention to items that need to be addressed. I have come to believe that recurring thoughts, dreams, and memories of painful experiences from our past are much like sticky notes. They are reminders. They are red flags that catch our attention. The problem is we often ignore them, push them aside, or stuff them deeper into our pile of emotions without realizing the

It is not possible to go through life without experiencing loss in some form. Every one of us will come face-to-face with grief at some point in our life. Loss and pain are inevitable. The only thing in question is what we will choose to do with the grief. Loss can come in many forms, some more devastating than others. Some are temporary, some are permanent. It reminds me of the areas impacted by the recent tornadoes. When you look at the path a tornado takes you see some hom

How many of us rest, I mean really rest? I have found that true rest is only achieved by intentionally seeking it. It takes practice and self-discipline. The many responsibilities and difficulties we face in life take a toll on us both physically and mentally. Grief also brings with it heavy emotions that are exhausting and difficult to carry, like wearing a backpack filled with heavy stones on an uphill hike. I giggle as I remember a hike our family took while on vacation in

It is so easy to believe you are worthless when you continually feel less than. Do you feel like you never measure up no matter what you do? Are you unable to feel satisfied with your work because you can only see the things you could have done better? Do you constantly compare yourself to others, secretly wishing you could be more like them? Do you have thoughts that begin with “If only I was…” and you can fill in the rest with a multitude of things… smarter, prettier, thinn

Hi Friends, Yesterday marked nine months since losing Randy to cancer. I dread the 25th of each month, but yesterday was a particularly difficult day. So, I decided to get out my notebook and pen and write to help let the emotion out. The following poem is the result of that process. I hope it is a help to someone else out there who is shattered and broken at the moment. I know it may not feel like it, but winter is only a season my friend and spring is coming! Remember we c