Trees of Life
In a recent poetry workshop, we were asked to write a poem from a memory about Grief. The memory of a few trees had the power to remind me of a special person and the realities of life.
A Variation on Vows
A Variation on Vows Guests arrive for the celebration. Neat wrappings wait to lay crinkled. Pressed formals hang in garment bags, not knowing their fate.
How to Honor the Deceased While Caring for the Living
Twenty-four nurses trailed into the room. They found seats within the circular configuration of chairs, where I sat. A mound of rocks rested in the middle of the circle.
How to Unlock the Fullness of Life During Difficult Times
Last Friday, we sat crowded in the doctor’s office beneath white lights and the weight of a new cancer diagnosis. My in-laws, husband and I waited for the doctor to arrive and deliver my father-in-law’s pathology report.
Live As If You Were Dying
“Write as if you were dying,” pens Annie Dillard. My relationship with dying began in 1978, the year I entered nursing school.
We Walk
The air snapped crisp as a freshly picked apple. The night’s storm had broken; clouds parted, skies opened. We walked before, but never like this.
The Art of Living
Change is the stuff of life, but transitioning is the art of life. ~Karen Swallow Prior The other day I drove home from work and welcomed the season’s changes.
The Cleaving
Mom sat across the table, picking at her chef’s salad. “Will you shave my head when my hair starts falling out?” she asked.
Healing Through Hope
Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us. ~Samuel Smiles People in Maine coined this winter, “The one that wouldn’t end.” Pounded with snow and snappy temperatures, this resilient people hold on with the hope for spring, new life.
