Life - Brenda Lee Free (Page 10)

Life

A collection of 530 posts

Back to the Future

I think so far in to the future that my NOW reality gets swallowed up. Do we all do this? I know I've blogged about this before, but how is it that as a widow(er), we learn how IMPORTANT the present is, but then we keep looking

Widow's Dictionary

You ask, we respond. "How are you doing?" "I'm hanging in". "Is there anything I can do?" "No, I'm doing fine." What do these responses really mean? What? You thought we were being honest? You're kidding

Are There Ever Enough Goodbyes?

A week off of blogging, some time off to do some writing, organizing, homework, a weekend away to get away from it all, meetings with mentors to sort through my emotions, and still, only a bit of relief. Welcome to year 2, almost. Discombobulated may be the best way to

Gimme a Break

I'm going to take a little break from blogging right now, but I would love for you to read back on some of the most popular blogs from the past 6 months. In the meantime, please keep me and my family, in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks! Pessimism,

Autumn Leaves

I want Autumn to leave, but I love the Autumn leaves. I looked "up" for the first time in days yesterday and realized that almost half of the trees have turned from their earthy greens, to vibrant yellow, orange, and red. It was lovely, even in the overcast

Communication Collapse

My career's communication pretty much failed this weekend, mostly thanks to technology, and some due to some other issues. But when it fails, it's a ricochet event. This is how it has been in my relationships as well-text, emails, and social media have made it so

Dust Bunnies

How is it that when you try to simplify your life, re-arrange it a little, you seem to get nothing but dust bunnies for the first bit of it. That was me yesterday. Spending 4 hours cleaning and re-arranging my tiny 3 room apartment, and for the first 3.5

An Open Letter to Grief

Dear Grief: It feels impossible to write this letter to you without using some choice words. You are the meanest of mean. You only arrive at the doorstep to my soul when something horrible happens. First my husband, then my grandfather, now my grandmother. You showed up after so many

Hope Floats

I have great writer friends, like Susan who wrote this blog last evening that just popped. "To find peace in loss, to forgive yourself, to hope, to love, to remember...to live. To let go. To say Goodbye..." On early morning Saturday my grandmother left this world to

Dinner...With a Pinch of Salty Tears

Crying over food is not something I do often, as one can tell by looking at my less than svelte figure. I love food. I have never been the type of widow who has no appetite, nope. For me, food=comfort. I swore off sweets for a day, probably the

Letting Go...Again

My grandmother is slipping away. I went to see her last night after hearing that she may not make it through the night. What a weird opportunity to visit a woman who knows she's dying, who is still with it enough to hold a conversation and tell you

It's All in a Name

I lost an earing, and my alarm clock fell off the shelf, to its' final death. It was time to go shopping. When my boyfriend arrived last night, I asked him after dinner if we could go shopping to replace said items. A trip to the mall is always

Am I Prepared?

Am I prepared to face two years? Do I have a choice? Today marks 23 months since Kevin left this world. That first year passed so quickly, and the weeks before and after the year marker was filled with weddings, photoshoots, swine flu, and enough stress to make me nearly

Guest Blog Post

Have you read my most recent guest blog post on Widowsphere? Check it out!

Still Grieving?

1 year, 336 days, edging closer. This time two years ago, Kevin and I were preparing to go on what would have been our very last time at Assateague together. It was chilly weather, much like today's. Last year at this time I was really questioning where I

Widows and Dating: Part Two

I just read a great article from a fellow Associated Content Producer. She addresses widows and dating in a very real fashion, with great advice. In response to her first mention to "Deal with Feelings of Betrayal", I immediately felt the need to expand upon this topic. Betrayal

Grief Publicity

Maybe I am just so in tune with grief and widowhood, that any articles mentioning either flash at me, but it seems that the past few days, lots of press has been dedicated to both issues. From the Dear Abby article, to one I came across yesterday about the memoir

Widows and Dating

This article on Dear Abby inspired me. I never thought I would type those words. I am not one for advice columns, in fact, most times I find Dear Abby annoying. She's just "too proper" in her answers, without being realistic, or considering the actions of

You Can't Steal Me, Cancer

One closet down. Shoes, clothes, momentos donated to Goodwill. Leftovers tossed. Previous career products passed onto others. Tears released. Sobs wrenched. Bitter laughs ensued. Cleaning out a closet is cleaning out your soul-for a widow. Every box that is opened, every bag that is sorted, it all leads down a

The Absent

I put on my rings this morning. I was getting ready, wearing green, so naturally I selected a pair of jade green earings that my mother in law had sent to me from Canada. I thought of the other green jewelry I had in the brocade box sitting on my

C Word

I believe I am going to get cancer at some point in my life. No, I do not consider myself a super paranoid person, nor a pessimist by any means, but a definite realist. Sometimes I DO look at statistics. I see what my genetics have foretold, and I see

The Cost of Dying

According to Bankrate.com, funerals are friggin' expensive. I agree. The AARP (formerly American Association of Retired Persons) lists the average cost of a funeral at $10,000. Kevin's funeral cost over $9,000, so ours was even "less" than average. Death is a rackateering

Dirt

Last night I placed a new Canadian flag at Kevin's grave. It's the first one to go next to his placed stone. When I arrived, they were finalizing a funeral for a man who I have known forever in my home church. His grave was just

Gimme a Break

The wonderful joy of widowhood pops up at times I do not expect. I recently filled out a form for financial aid towards my gym membership, one that had been approved about 8 months ago during my first 6 months at this gym. It was now denied. I only make

Pride & Joy

I do a lot of things in my life so that others are proud of me and my accomplishments. In grade school, it was one of the things that drove me to achieve good grades, to get accepted into District band, to lead our youth group and worship band, to