Bereaved and Blessed

Transportation Bonding

June 30, 2024

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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Mom, O’Keefe & NYC

June 13, 2024

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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Dreaming of Mom

May 26, 2024

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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Honoring Molly (16 Years)

April 17, 2024

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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Letting Go & Making Room

April 13, 2024

Today it’s been nine months since Mom died and I have so many swirling thoughts that surround this milestone. I miss her so much. I think a lot about all that I learned from her in my 48 of her 80 years on this earth. I am inspired by how committed Mom was to living […]

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17 Years in 17 Words

April 10, 2024

17 years ago today, on April 10, 2007, I began blogging. Though I don’t post as often or consistently as I have in the past, I am still grateful to have this space to share and process life. On past blogoversaries I have shared things that I have learned from blogging and 12 years ago, since my blogoversary fell on the […]