Writings

This weekend we celebrated the launch of my book, Beautifully Broken. It was such a mixture of emotions – bittersweet, beautiful and broken all at the same time. We celebrated with friends and family, and the best part of the day was when my oldest son who lives out of state surprised us all by showingContinue reading “Bittersweet, Beautiful and Broken”

Over the past few weeks, I began to feel an old familiar stirring deep within my heart. It’s a feeling hard to ignore. Since Melanie ran ahead to heaven, as each holiday approaches I’m left with a hole that cannot be filled. The memories of times past begin to creep in and no matter whatContinue reading “Surviving the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

For those of you who have been following me for some time now you are aware I’ve been in the process of writing a book over the past year. Today I am happy to announce my first book, Beautifully Broken: Finding Hope During Loss has been published and is now available on Amazon for pre-Continue reading “Beautifully Broken”

The Fall peaked here in Georgia this past week. The leaves on the red maple tree we planted so many years ago turned the most beautiful shade of red, orange, and yellow I’ve ever seen it produce. It appeared to exude a warm bright light and energy that brought such beauty to the space. TheContinue reading “The Colors of Fall – A Small Reflection of My Soul”

It’s that time of year again. Fa-la-la-la-not. Oh, I know, that sounds so very Scrooge-like, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, I’m not really a Scrooge, and under normal circumstances I actually love the holiday season. Unfortunately, since Melanie ran ahead to heaven, there is nothing normal about this time of year. I’m still trying to figureContinue reading “How Can We Survive the Holidays”

Can you believe it’s already the beginning of November? Where has the time gone? The calendar reminds me it’s only 53 more days until Christmas, but I’m not ready to think about that yet. It’s November, the month of Thanksgiving, so instead, I’m trying to focus on thanks, even if my heart is hurting. TruthContinue reading “Focusing on Thanks Even When Your Heart is Hurting”

Recently I went to the grand opening of a new florist that opened in our area. I was greeted by a lovely woman who happened to be one of the owners. She showed me around her quaint shop that offered unique clothing, jewelry and of course, flowers. After looking around I selected a beautiful “GrabContinue reading “Grief is Complicated”

For those of us who find ourselves on the grief journey, I’m sure you’ve wondered if the tears would ever stop. For a time, I didn’t even bother to put on makeup, especially mascara. Why bother? It would only be a waste of product and energy. How many times did you think the tears wereContinue reading “Our Tears: A Pathway to the Healing of Our Heart”

Perhaps life has played out differently for you than me. The day Melanie ran ahead to heaven I expected it to just be, an ordinary day. I was on the first day of vacation, at the spa, getting a facial with a friend. I wasn’t expecting anything unusual to happen, and I definitely wasn’t anticipatingContinue reading “Trusting God On An Ordinary Day, Until it Isn’t”

How often do we allow ourselves to feel pressured by others to feel a certain way? How often do we allow ourselves to feel guilty that we aren’t further along in our grief journey? It happens more often than we’d like to admit. It doesn’t have to be this way, my friends. In case youContinue reading “Let it Go, Just Like Queen Elsa”

My childhood friend came to visit this past weekend. We have been friends since kindergarten and we can honestly say, we’ve done life together. This was her first visit since Melanie ran ahead to heaven and we found ourselves saying, the missing never ends. Melanie may no longer be physically here on this earth, butContinue reading “The Missing Never Ends”

Recently, a friend shared a post with these two simple words – I’m here. There was something about those two words that made me stop in my tracks. If you know someone who finds themselves on this sad and oftentimes lonely road called Grief, take a moment and think about how important two simple wordsContinue reading “Two Simple Words – I’m Here”

It’s hard to believe I began sharing my grief journey with you here one year ago today. I started this blog as a means to share my heart and connect with others who were traveling the same road. It’s been a rollercoaster ride, but I am so grateful for all of you who have walkedContinue reading “Sharing My Grief Journey”

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day and I am dedicating my post to honor the memory of all those who were lost to overdose and the parents who are grieving them. Friends, I started this blog almost a year ago as a means to share my grief journey with those of you who were alsoContinue reading “International Overdose Awareness Day”

As I began to look ahead at my upcoming week I noticed on the calendar that one year ago, a dear and lovely friend, Mrs. Trudie Beach, went home to heaven. I smiled as I began to think about her, when out of nowhere a question crossed my mind. Didn’t Mrs. B. lose a childContinue reading “Honoring a Strong Woman”

August is International Overdose Awareness month. People from every walk of life will come together on August 31st, Overdose Awareness Day, to gather in honor of their loved ones who died due to this disease. Did you know that in 2020 we had the highest number of overdoses ever recorded? 81,000 people lost their livesContinue reading “International Overdose Awareness Month”

We all have challenges in life. We will all suffer loss at some point in our lives, too. No matter the specific circumstance you may find yourself walking through right now, has this thought ever crossed your mind – I never thought it would happen to me! Maybe your loved one passed away unexpectedly inContinue reading “Never Thought it Would Happen to Me”

Have you ever had someone tell you, “Don’t worry. You’ll be okay. Time heals all wounds.” I have. It didn’t make me feel any better, and quite frankly I didn’t believe them. Does time really heal all wounds? Perhaps there is some type of healing over time, but it may not happen exactly in theContinue reading “Time – Does it Really Heal All Wounds?”

Yesterday marked 17 months since I was told Melanie was gone from this earth and I must admit, some days are still so darn hard. This grief journey reminds me of a seesaw, but without any of the fun we had as kids. There continue to be countless days when it all still seems soContinue reading “Grief: A Seesaw Journey”

Everyone talks about the first year when you lose a loved one, and many often discuss getting through the “Year of Firsts” – the first birthday, the first Christmas, the first anniversary etc. It can leave you with a false sense that once you get through the firsts you will then be fine. That isContinue reading “The Second Year of Grief: Still Navigating the Waves”