One evening this spring, my youngest looked out the window during family read aloud time and whispered, “Mom, a bunny!” Sure enough, on the edge of the thicket that lines our property, a baby bunny crouched. A little ball of fur so tiny it looked as though you could cup it in a single hand.Continue reading “Lessons in Bunny Trust”
Category Archives: Everyday
Crying in Baseball
After three months of my boys’ impatient waiting, baseball season finally has begun. Quarantine closed all of our town’s fields, and weeds took up residence all over the warning track and in the bullpens and dugouts. When we arrived for the first practices this week, it was a mess! The kids and I went overContinue reading “Crying in Baseball”
The Dead Elephant In the Room
“Praising what is lost / Makes the remembrance dear.” William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well When I was a college speech teacher years ago, I used to tell my students that the top two fears people had were death and public speaking. I was afraid of the former but through years of practice hadContinue reading “The Dead Elephant In the Room”
Listening For His Voice
When I leave my children home alone, we keep Rob’s phone on the kitchen island in case they need to call me while I’m out. My kids know the phone is only for emergencies, but I try to check up on them regularly when I’m gone. Leaving your kids after loss is a complex process,Continue reading “Listening For His Voice”
The Ten Year Plan House
All of my life, I’ve been a long-range planner. I’ve loved thinking about broad swaths of time. My childhood journals charted out which boy I’d marry, the names of my children, even floor plan drawings of my dream house. When I met Rob, he and I jumped excitedly into planning together. Time seemed infinite, andContinue reading “The Ten Year Plan House”
Putting The Pieces Back Together
A shattering sound breaks the early morning quiet and sends me shuffling from the sofa into the kitchen. He stands frozen, penitence in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Mom,” he says as he gently gathers the pieces of the broken mug from across the counter. “I accidentally hit it with my elbow when I turned around.” Continue reading “Putting The Pieces Back Together”
45 Days to Go: A Lament
It’s June 4, 2020. Just 45 days until it has been a year since you died. I can’t believe I’ve lived so long without you. And yet, that is what my life will always be now — lived without you. The thought tears me wide open. I miss you like it was yesterday. I knowContinue reading “45 Days to Go: A Lament”
On Wearing Black
As soon as the weather got above 50 degrees here in New England, my kids started wearing shorts. My youngest transitioned to sleeveless dresses. My boys raided the large Tupperware bins in the closet, pulling out tie-dye t-shirts and basketball shorts, convincing me they really weren’t cold at all when they played outside with bareContinue reading “On Wearing Black”
Waiting for Reopening
Last week, our governor released Massachusetts’ reopening plans, and our whole family sighed with disappointment. While coronavirus infections have slowed here in the Commonwealth, numbers are still high enough that Phase 1 of our state’s reopening plan looks little different from a stay at home order. For now, change will come at a pace thatContinue reading “Waiting for Reopening”
When Despair Speaks
Many people who mourn don’t feel they can admit the darker parts of grief. The days they don’t get out of bed. The feelings of anger or hopelessness or desperation. Oftentimes, when a grieving person tries to share these darker places, his or her feelings are diminished or silenced by others. “There’s always hope,” we’reContinue reading “When Despair Speaks”
