Theo has been sick for several days and spent quite a bit of time in the master bedroom, watching tv. Everything was fairly low key with his illness, until he said the words "Mommy, I barfed." He held his arms away from his body, indicating his now-soiled clothes. And I needed to strip the bed.... Continue Reading →
Pumpkin Habits
Two years ago, four pumpkins sat outside of our house. Four were round, smooth, and orange. Two were a bluish color and lumpy. We had lost Nelle at the onset of Fall that year. It wasn't intentional, but I looked at those pumpkins and thought "Six. Four living people. One blue pumpkin for Nelle. And one blue pumpkin for our next baby."
Re-framing Moment
I was taking a bath when I heard the crash from the master bedroom. "Quentin? What happened?" Pause. "Something fell," was the response. He came in the bathroom with tears in his eyes. "Something fell on my head." I got out of the tub and grabbed a towel so that I could survey the situation.... Continue Reading →
Inside the Box
There is a small white box in my closet. It held Iris's ashes before we scattered then. I don't need the box; it was only a delivery mechanism, a transportation method to her final resting place. I did not keep Nelle's box. But I have been unable to throw away Iris's box. It is one... Continue Reading →
Describe After
Anne Lamott often recounts words that a priest said to her once: "Sometimes Heaven is just a new pair of glasses." A change in perspective. How many words and phrases flow easily from the lips of our culture when it comes to death and dying? All of which are fairly presumptuous that those on the... Continue Reading →
Musings Out Loud 