08May

Why This Mother’s Day Has Particular Meaning

motherhood

In the past few years, I have stared death in the face more than once. Once by an illness that could have taken my life had it not been caught in time; the other time in a fluke accident that nearly took my last breath. The strange thing is that both events happened in a relatively short span of time when I still had children under the age of 10. But the good thing, and there's always a good thing, is that both incidents took a toll on me physically and mentally and have made me stop to think about my mortality and role as a mother. Prior to these Read More

13Apr

Review: Passed and Present by Allison Gilbert

passedandpresent

My grandparents passed away at the same time on a terrible day in 1992. I can't believe it's been 24 years since I last held them in my arms. I was 22 when they died and probably too young to stop to think what they left behind or how I would memorialize them, but I'll tell you one thing I do know. If I had a copy of PASSED and PRESENT Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive by my friend, Allison Gilbert, I would have known how to preserve their memories. Passed and Present This past Sunday, I attended her first official "Memory Bash" in a nearby town to Read More

17Jun

On Motherless Children (and Nearly Making My Own Kids Motherless)

motherlesschildren

I have several friends who are motherless. I still have my mom, so my heart is full of sympathy when I hear and read their stories, but I've never been able to fully relate because she's here....very much here, living just 25 minutes away. But how often did I ever think that I would possibly leave my own children motherless? Pretty much never. I'm scared of dying in a car crash, but I just drive slower as a result. So, several weeks ago, when I nearly died, saving myself by breaking my wrist in the worst place possible, breaking a rib, spraining a Read More

01Jun

A Second Chance

a-second-chance

A few short weeks ago, I stared death in the face. I didn't realize it then but now that reality has sunk in, I realize something very important: I've been given a second chance. Death almost came knocking on my door, nearly making my children motherless and my husband a widower. Since the incident, I've had time to think about a lot of things and can say without question these five things: I want to be more present in the moment. I want to disconnect more often and make sure I experience every moment I'm living in this crazy world we live Read More