Endings
It always feels like the winter solstice and the lengthening of the days should mean the end of winter, not the beginning.
death
The Story of a Very Good Dog
Maya was a very good dog. Even once she developed Cushing’s and had to pee all the time and didn’t always make it outside, she was still an excellent dog. One of the best.
The Potential Energy of What Could Have Been
I’m a sucker for ceremony.
I know, it surprises me too. I’m the kid who almost got suspended in high school for holding up sarcastic signs during a pep rally; I don’t seem like the type to cry over Pomp and Circumstance. Alas, give me heartfelt speeches and slideshows of memories and I will show you what it looks like to stoically attempt to pull back tears before they spill over. When my sister graduated from UNC, I cried during an a cappella version of Carolina in My Mind.
A Door Once Opened
Yesterday was the first day of Spring.
Today is the anniversary of the last time I saw my dad fully alive.
The Ghosts of Christmas Past and The Grief in Christmas Present
I get a lot of sympathetic head tilts when I mention working on Christmas Eve or the days between Christmas and New Year. I think some judge the adultiness of a job by things like not going to work for two weeks at the end of the year. I appear to have the job of a real adult, so nobody thinks that maybe I’d rather save my vacation time for summer when it’s nice outside. In all honesty, I love this week at work. It’s so quiet. The expectations are low. I can wear jeans and eat leftovers and nobody asks me for things, unless it’s to eat this piece of cake. This is the week when I organize my office or rearrange the file room.
The Uninvited Lesson of Preeclampsia
I found this essay yesterday while searching for something else. Since today is the fourth anniversary of Rachael’s stroke, it seemed apropos to share it here this morning.
Let’s Get Physical
Was I getting sick?
My throat hurt. Earlier, I coughed and was overwhelmed by vertigo. My body ached.
“Maybe my blood pressure is high. Did I feel like this when I had preeclampsia? Great. I’m probably dying.”