Mar 08
In the months following my daughter’s death, I received many “gifts.” One gift came unexpectedly about four months after the accident. It was a letter from one of her classmates that included a hand-written “prayer” Ava had created for the classmate’s art project. On the small, brightly colored square of fabric were inked the words, …
Aug 08
School starts today, and parents throughout the area are breathing a sigh of relief as the familiar routine begins again. Summer, for parents of younger children, often means a long string of camps – here they are Camp Imagination, town-sponsored activities camps, Science Camp (hopefully again next year), Music Camp, swim lessons, volleyball and basketball …
Jun 08
Two very special dates occurred recently – graduation of the class of 2012 on Friday (May 25), and Memorial Day last Monday (May 28) – one a joyous celebration of accomplishment, the other a heartfelt tribute to tremendous loss. I attended graduation last Friday; once again a proud mother watched her daughter cross the stage …
Dec 29
Written at Christmas, 2010 ‘Spilling over’ is bound to happen. The Christmas season has arrived, and with it all the emotions entangled therein. I have always loved Christmas. Since I was a small child and watched my mother carefully trim the fresh tree that my father had cut the day before. Christmas is …
Nov 17
This week is Thanksgiving, a time when Americans count blessings and give thanks. It goes without saying that every day should be Thanksgiving, but this Thursday (Nov. 24) is set aside as a national holiday to give all of us a day or two away from work and routine to reflect and be grateful for …
Sep 23
I am, once again, teaching a teenager to drive. Actually, I am teaching two teens. From scratch. On a stick-shift. …Sigh. Progress is slow, but definitely being made. Seven years ago, my first daughter had the benefit of a school-sponsored driver’s education class. Ava (Abby) took that several-week-long class and learned the basics of driving …
Apr 26
I heard some song lyrics the other day that hit home. Although I don’t recall the exact wording, the message was this: Be thankful for a heart that can still feel pain. The words implying, a heart that feels no pain is a dead heart. There was a time quite recently that I would have …
Apr 12
My cherished daughter died in May of 2008. She had just finished her sophomore year in college. Late that summer, I traveled to her college to gather her belongings and to hold an informal memorial for her friends and professors. It was a very difficult trip to make. I was only in Portland, Oregon, for …
Apr 07
For those who have been following my ‘adoption adventure,’ I finally have good news. I will be soon be adopting a nearly-9-year-old girl – exactly the child I had hoped for when I began this adventure. As a recap, I began this journey more than a year ago as a direct response to the loss …
Mar 09
“How is the adoption going?” I hear the question nearly everywhere I go. My response is… “sigh.” I haven’t updated the saga for several months in hope I that I would have a definitive answer – a child to announce! But alas, no… not yet. The obstacles are many, and all are out of my …
