Bereavement

One of the many cute and quirky things my parents did regularly in their golden years was something they referred to as “transportation bonding.” It typically consisted of my dad driving my mom somewhere that only she needed to go. However, they used it as an opportunity to spend quality time together during the ride […]

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For my 48th birthday last year, in March 2023, my mom contributed to my getting an Art Institute of Chicago membership, something I’ve done and really enjoyed off and on over the years. I got it as part of a deal that lasted 15 months, so it doesn’t expire until the end of this month. […]

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I finally had a dream with my mom in it! It happened right before I woke up this morning — 10 months and 13 days since she died. In the dream Mom was still alive, but we seemed to know that she was close to dying. I am not sure if she knew that. I […]

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Dear Molly, I re-read last year’s post from your birthday/the anniversary of your death and was struck by how much of it applies to how I feel now/this year. When navigating difficult and uncertain times, I often think I’ve never felt like this before, it is so hard. However, in reality every age and stage […]

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It’s been awhile since I dreamt of, or at least remember dreaming of, my dad. I was in a small gift shop type store, which sold dance apparel, shoes and accessories, as well as toys, and struck up a conversation with another person who was shopping there. I recall the person had a shopping basket […]

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One of many idioms that I grew up hearing was how things aren’t permanent until they are “set in stone.” I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about what it meant or how literal I took the expression until today. It is the seven month anniversary of the day that my mom died and […]

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