Things to Expect When Your Mother Dies – #92 Quilting

I've been journaling about things to expect when your mother dies since my mom died in 2018. Creativity is my go-to when grief gets hard; which is often and lifelong. In this post, I share how my first quilt project was birthed.

Death Leads the Way – Why I continue to follow the invitations and you should too

I received a new invitation and I want to share it with you! While I prefer to plan out my life, make goals and work diligently towards them, shite happens despite my wishes and best efforts. Sometimes when shite happens, I have decisions to make: Follow the invitations or try to go some other way. …

Another Thing to Expect When Your Mother Dies – A Year Later – Life is But a Breath

Originally published in 2019 - edited & reposted 2/4/21 A year of my life is history; a year my mother was not here to experience the ups and downs of everyday life, the blooms in her gardens, or the thunder of last week's storms. Breast cancer claimed her for its statistical rollcall in February 2018, …

Watercolor Art for Fundraiser & Grief Processing – UH-1H Super Huey Cal Fire Helicopter

I immersed myself in painting a Cal Fire Super Huey helicopter after reading about the helicopter pilot, Michael Fournier, who died fighting a fire last week. Then I realized why I was so compelled.

Mindfully Creative – Rerecording over the Critic’s Judgment

Creativity is therapeutic, it's survival, built into our brains as human beings so that we may overcome challenges, solve problems, process experiences, and tell our stories to those who need to know them, and to ourselves.

Whooping Cough During the Pandemic. It’s a No Joke, Pesky Little Bacteria You Don’t Want. Creativity Helps Me Deal.

Whooping cough is no joke.

Drawing Heals Childhood Wounds & Helps Me Think Better

When I was in eighth grade in 1978-79, at Sequoia Intermediate, in my hometown of Newbury Park, California, I had to choose an elective each semester. I remember the choices of drawing, ceramics, and leather. I don't remember anything about the other subjects offered. "Mom, I want to take the drawing class." "Why? You can't …

Grieving Our Loss of Power – 3 Ways to Cope

Millions of people in California are suffering a very real loss of power both physically and psychologically. And we are grieving our loss of power, sense of safety, and for some the loss of a home. In simplified terms, each of us is in various stages of the process. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and eventually …

3 Recommended Self-Help E-audio Books from Library

Reading time limited? Budget for books limiting your reading pleasure? Try e-audio and borrow from a library. Using Libby, I listened to a variety of books over the summer then bought hard copies of the ones worth a deeper reading dive. Here are three self-help books worth checking out. Two are written for women and one is written for men and women.

Healing the Grief of Migraine through Creativity – The Pirate Bitch’s Treasure Trove

Coping with migraine is a struggle millions of people across the globe deal with. In this post, I share my experience seeking relief through an unscientific method and healing the grief associated with migraine.