Farewell to a Great Friend

I watch him shuffle around the house and know he doesn’t have much time.  I push back the sadness.  There’s nothing left to do.  Simon’s 13 years-old and in constant pain.  His back legs are bent and twisted.  Still, I look at this dog and hate what I have to do.

The 6 Life Stages of the Summer Carnival

You know that tug.  You drive by and pretend you don’t care.  Your kids are grown.  Why go anymore?  Then you roll down the window and smell the popcorn and hear the tinny music.  It takes you back. And that’s when you realize the summer carnival has seen you through 6 major life stages…

5 Surprising Things I Felt When my Father Passed Away

You think you know how you’ll feel, but you don’t.  When someone close to you dies, sometimes you react differently than expected, depending on the circumstances.  When my father passed last Sunday, I was ready to feel one way.  But surprisingly, 5 unexpected emotions tugged at me…

Saying Goodbye to Dad: 6 Unexpected Thoughts On Hospice

You walk the halls with other dazed-looking family members and wonder what brought you to this strange facility called hospice. 

It’s a place of intersections.  On one hand, it’s the world of the living --busy and bustling with plans and schedules.  On the other, it’s the world of the dying, the silent, unknowable spirit world.

Here are 6 things I've observed while saying goodbye to my beloved 82 year-old father... 

6 Major Life Lessons...from Anthony Bourdain

He travels. He writes. He hosts CNN's "Parts Unknown" each Sunday.  Most episodes I come away a little older, a little wiser then when I first picked up the remote.  To that end, I see how Anthony has taught me 6 crucial life lessons…

How I Barely Survived IKEA

The other day my son Paul suggested something so disturbing, so cringe-inducing, so horrific, I had to hold onto my kitchen counter for support.  “I need a new bureau. Let’s go back to Ikea.”  All I could do was shake my head, repeating the word, “No.” I cannot.  I will not go back to IKEA for these 9 reasons…

Confessions of a Daughter-in-Law

Have you ever wanted to tell someone something but the words never came?  Maybe you were embarrassed or got busy but the moment didn't arrive.  And then it was too late.  And you have regrets.  This happened to me recently.  Here are 6 things I wish I had told Joyce, my mother-in-law….