The first year of grief after a loss can be the hardest. While the ache of grief never really goes away, I’ve found the pain does lessen. The fog does clear with time. During the first year of grief, you are finding your “new normal” and learning your own strength in the process. My mother…
For a few seconds, my dead grandmother was right there next to me shopping for plants. I was walking through the garden center of H-E-B Plus on a particularly muggy August afternoon. I was leisurely picking out plants and loading them onto my cart, despite the heat. My dead grandmother was right there next to…
My mother’s parents were married on August 8, 1949. Four years later, in 1953, my mom arrived on the scene. My grandparents’ greatest gift to me in 1953 was my mom. I miss my grandparents. But I feel (and see) their presence all around me every day. So much of who I am comes from…
What are your favorite funeral songs? They can be either popular songs or church hymns, or both. I’ve planned three funerals, one for my mom and one for each of her parents. So I’ve had some time to think about this. A couple of my favorites are Alan Jackson’s version of Blessed Assurance (makes me…
I’m learning how to breathe. Literally and figuratively. After tongue tie release surgery, I’m finally learning how to breathe. It turns out I breathed and swallowed incorrectly for 36 years. My new dentist immediately noticed my posterior tongue tie. She referred me to an amazing myofunctional therapist. The therapist taught me how to breathe and…
