I am reminded of a young boy named Komake as I sit on my front deck watching the palm trees sway. He was born on Oahu so his folks gave him a Hawaiian name. We met in Washington but Komake was part of the aina (the land) of where he … Read the rest
Precious memories
A few weeks ago, you may or may not remember that I received a surprise from my friend Scott whose 3-year-old sarcastic email popped to the top of my list when I opened my cell. Well, he told me to let his family know he would be at his daughter’s … Read the rest
Messages from the other side
I woke up the other day and grabbed my cell phone as I always do. I have a habit of checking to make sure I don’t have any bad news from the mainland. Those of you who are parents may know that even if your kids are grown, you always … Read the rest
Grief changes you, it really does
Everyone will be forced to grieve at some point in time. If you are lucky it won’t happen until you are old enough to understand it. I had a grandparent die when I was young and I had no clue what was going on. In elementary school, a neighbor ended … Read the rest
1st Lesson-6 Word Lessons on Surviving a Devastating Dx
You feel off.
It could be a virus or infection. Persistent headaches, fever, unexplained aches, and bruises are some of the signs you should see your doctor. Don’t try to self-diagnose. Don’t Google it. Get to the doctor.
Simple right? Well, so many people ignore these symptoms and when finally … Read the rest
Missing Maile
The inevitable happened yesterday. My beautiful fur baby crossed over the rainbow bridge. Through sheer love and determination plus the aid of Chinese herb medicine and a few rounds of chemotherapy she gave us joy for two and a half bonus months. Maile Izzy Baby Lulu Enebrad Geller was like … Read the rest
I hate cancer!
I know hate is a strong word. In the case of cancer though it is the only appropriate word I can come up with. First my son, then me, then my baby brother, and countless friends and relatives…and now my beloved fur baby Maile Izzy Baby Lulu.
Our Christmas was … Read the rest
15 Tips to help you get through the holidays
The holidays are stressful enough but when you add in grief it becomes a whole new challenge. This is a repeat post but one that has helped previously. Here are some things to think about as we approach the holidays.
1) Remember that your loved one wants you to be … Read the rest
Memories
I am in the midst of moving from a leased house to a newly purchased one. All of the boxes we didn’t go through for the past several years while waiting to buy are now being tackled one at a time. Ugh. Many have revealed items that trigger memories. Some … Read the rest
Post-election grief
After a very contentious election year (so glad I wasn’t still in news) I for one could not wait for November 8th and the whole thing to be over. BTW, I will not apologize for making political statements on my own blog. If you don’t agree with me, please do … Read the rest