Loss & Grief
He Called Her “My Person”
This week I helped a grown man process the death of his mom. She died when he was 12 years old and he now has a full beard and a chiseled jawline. He is not the same little boy... but his heart is the same little heart. For so many years he had held his sadness and...
Goodbye, Sweet Boy
Two nights ago, I received a message no one wants to get. My precious cousin took his life. He was 45 years young. It was a gut-wrenching moment. Heartbroken. Tears. Sadness. Statistics show that around 800,000 people die by suicide every year, and it’s the...
Her Brain Might Forget This Day But I Know Her Heart Won’t
My mom is in a hard season of life. Her memory is no longer what it used to be. She knows what is happening and it's hard for her. A retired schoolteacher and principal, she’s a smart and well-read lady. She forever thirsted for more knowledge and always wanted...
Growing Up, One Last at a Time
“At some point in your childhood, you and your friends went outside to play together for the last time, and nobody knew it”. My oldest son grew up with friends like the boys from the movie "The Sandlot". They started kindergarten together and they were a force to...
One Word… Bittersweet
Yesterday we dropped my sweet middle child off at college. He has a new home now and it’s a milestone in his life for sure. And in mine. It's the day I have dreamed of and the day I have dreaded all wrapped up in one big good-bye hug. My heart is washed over...
As Her Brother Takes A Step Into His New Life, She Will Take A Step Into Hers
It’s official. In exactly one month from today we drop my middle off at college. He leaves home, launches into adulthood, and spread his wings. Time to fly, Baby. While I sit and ponder, or if I’m being honest wallow, this change I have dreaded for 18 years, I am...
A Daughter’s Lesson
Dear Mom and Dad, I get it. I freakin’ get it! It took me a while but I finally think I know what you meant when many moons ago, in a heated moment, when you told me, “One day, you will understand.” Wait. Understand what? You never answered me but those words...
The Beginning of the End
Senior Sunrise 2018. The beginning of the end. I’m not ready. Senior year marks the firsts of all the lasts. Big changes are on the horizon. It’s the last first day of required school. As a parent, the start of elementary school was met with anticipation and...
The Circle of Life Creates the Circle of Love
Life is funny. My youngest starts high school in the fall. It feels like a big step-- it’s my final rodeo before being an empty nester. Where did the time go? I swear I was just a new mom, all cute and perky and ready to produce the greatest kids in the world. ...
What Lies Beneath the Uniform
So young. So promising. So talented. Tonight, the sudden death of Washington State’s quarterback Tyler Hilinski rocked the sports world. At 21 years old, his death is tragic, devastating, and unfathomable. No death of a young person seems understandable but death...
