All through childhood, I watched the slew of Christmas shows that 50 years later, still play. One of my favorites was "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". There's a song from that show that I think of quite often, "Put One Foot in Front of the Other": Put one foot in front of the otherAnd soon you'll be walking out the doorIf you want to change your directionIf your time of life is at hand Well don't be the rule, be the exceptionA good way to start is to stand For many months, this has been my way of life.…

We had the annual family/neighborhood reunion this weekend. It was different, walking in without holding your hand or carrying the loaf of bread that was always your contribution to the food table. You weren't there to talk down the IPA in the cooler or talk up the carrot cake. There were no calls of "Hey dad!", "It's grandpa!" or "Hi Dwight!" Every once in awhile I'd look around to spot you so I could tell you something funny that just happened. For a second, here and there, I forget that you're not with us, any more; it makes my heart…

One of the main thoughts that kept repeating over and over in my head was "But, we had plans!" Up until now, whenever someone I was talking to would mention a plan that didn't work out, I had a standard answer: "Do you know what happens when you make plans?""God laughs." Of course, I don't say that anymore. And I'm sure God didn't laugh. I don't know why I was so surprised. I am a maker of many plans and not a huge percentage of them ever work out the way I want. Sometimes things are a little different, sometimes…

If you'd have asked me who I was prior to 2019, I'd have recited a whole list to you; mother, daughter, wife, photographer, author, auditor, non-cook, organizer of chaos, and whatever other silly title I could conjure up quickly. On January 14, 2019 that all came to a screeching halt. At 1:45 am I called 911 and then spent the next nine minutes being coached through CPR by the operator, trying to save my husband until the squad arrived and took over. The memory of these minutes comes from above, as if I was outside my body, watching the events…