The Friday evening after Karen’s memorial service, a gathering of a few of my dear friends and family members met in my backyard around the firepit to continue on in honor of Karen. The weather was unseasonably warm for November. The waning gibbous moon was beginning to rise in the east. Glasses of Karen-pour whiskey …
My book is scheduled to ship to LNK late next week and I’m very excited to get it into your hands to read and remember the place that I loved creating. At 275 pages, 166 full-color photographs, the finished hardcover product is beautiful, reflecting the talent of the team that worked so diligently to bring …
I’m not sure why, but my sense of smell is acute. It’s not like I worked at developing it or practiced in the off season to improve. But it’s a part of me that I’ve learned to lean into and enjoy. It helps me in my cooking and management of a kitchen. I could walk …
As many of you can tell from my Instagram posts (@breadandcup), I’ve been traveling a lot these last two months. I love to travel but did not have the opportunity for several years. Since a college student, I’ve always had the desire to set out on the road to step into the unknown. Sometimes watching …
Years ago, in response to cancer’s invasion, Karen put these 6 words on the west wall of our bedroom. It took until last year for the truth of them to fully sink into my being. Truth is like that. I can mentally agree with a statement while at the same time not feel it in …
Dogs are amazing creatures and my mutt, Hank, is no exception. In the first week of July 2019, Karen’s condition had deteriorated to the point where all of us involved thought this would be our final goodbye. Hank also became aware that something wasn’t quite right in the house and his demeanor changed. On July …
More from the archive. This one from 2010. Another reminder that writers write the things they need to read. The lessons I’ve learned about grief along the way are never wasted. This is important music to me. I hope it speaks to you in the same way. FROM THE ARCHIVE: DECEMBER 11, 2010 I was …
I recently heard this quote: Writers write the books they themselves need to read I resonate with this statement Writing is the way I process most everything I deal with; emotions, disappointments, joyful moments. When I sit down to write a blog post, it always flows out of something I am learning or discovering. Documenting …
One of Karen’s desires on her hospice bucket list was to go hiking in Colorado one final time. We returned to some trails we took several years ago when we vacationed in that same area. Our children were very young and this location provided us with some lifelong memories During a hike with the family …
Hope is not possible without Grief I know this Because Grief exists And Hope does not ignore Grief In fact, Hope ignores no one Hope invites you to Its table Pull up a chair Bring with you what you may And tell Hope your Grief story Grief doesn’t disqualify you From having a seat in …