Another Thing That Happened When My Mother Died: the Gift of Approval

My mother's death changed my life, but not just in the statistical manner in which I became another daughter with a dead mother. My mother's death changed my life not just in the ways you might guess or imagine from your own experience, but in ways that are unique to my life. Some of those …

Another Thing that Happens When Your Mother Dies – Number 100-n-somethin’: Crafting with Purpose – Loose Ends Project

Do you remember the blog post series I started on March 23rd, 2018 just a month after my mom died? Things To Expect When Your Mother Dies. I haven't forgotten about it. I am giving it internet airspace again. I keep scrawling in my journal dedicated to this project. There are 100-n-something entries now (five …

Check out my Guest Post over on University of Colorado’s Palliative Care Graduate Program

This morning I have the triple privilege of experiencing the blend of the elusive writer's high, the honor of being published, and the deep satisfaction I get from continuing to share stories about my mom for the edification of others. This rewarding and rare combination is about my heart. I'm calling today Trifecta Tuesday! The …

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.

10 Things Californians Should Know about Medical Aid-in-Dying & Why it Matters to Me

Writing and speaking publicly about my mother's death story makes my heart pick up the beat and sing from the depths where love, compassion, and our relationship lives. My mother died from breast cancer in February 2018. She used medical aid-in-dying to end unbearable pain and suffering caused by terminal cancer's relentless growth and destruction …

Quotes of Wisdom 39 Sustaining Creativity During Stress and Grief is Vital for Mental Health

"Creativity is healing." - Yours TrulyBrighten you day with color. Notice how your mind and body change with the process. Creativity changes brain chemistry.    I don't need to read studies (though there are a few) to know how my mood changes when I sit and knit for 30 minutes. I know how playing in …

Quotes of Wisdom 38 Healing through Gardening – Midsummer Update

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul."  ~Luther Burbank  Gardens have been medicine for my soul for years.  This year the abundance of beauty and cycling blooms in the flower gardens have kept me captivated. In fact, they've held me hostage long into the …

Quotes of Wisdom 36 Healing Through Gardening

"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul." ~Alfred Austin, English Poet, novelist, dramatist I have dug into the earth with bare hands, day after day convinced my hands would be stained for a …

Quotes of Wisdom 34 Motherhood – Grief and Joy

"With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood." ~Isadora Duncan American dancer, choreographer "Born on May 26, 1877 (some sources say May 27, 1878), in San Francisco, California, Isadora Duncan developed an approach to dance that emphasized naturalistic movement. She was a hit in Europe as a performer to classical music and opened schools that …

Another 5 Things to Expect When Your Mother Dies (11-15) #breastcancer #grief #mom

11. Seven weeks later you'll wander into your mother's guest room looking for something. Sitting in the alcove under the east window are nine plants. Wilted, dropping leaves, forgotten. Drooping with devastating disappointment. The flower gardens, the winter-tough deck plants, they've received your loving care since before your mom died.  But these plants? Your mother placed them …