Ch.225 Pat and Judy’s Radiant Smiles
Nov. 2023
Most Wednesdays at noon I eat lunch with my friends Richard and Jerry. Jerry, like me, is a widower;
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Ch.224 Walking at Daybreak
Nov.2023
7:15 a.m. 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Just a hint of light in the sky.
Time for a walk.
Blackie, my cat, has been awake a
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Ch.64 Ron Becomes Anxious and Irritable
Summer, 2020
Lately I’ve been anxious and irritable. I’ll talk about my irritability later in this essay, but for now let
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Ch.221 Evidence of Healing: A Tale of Two Vacations
Oct.2023
Last May I flew to Canada to visit my brothers Don and Art, eleven months after Pat’s
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Ch.220 Please Worry Just a Little
Sept. 2023
There is a special look reserved for people talking to someone in mourning: closely attentive with sad but searching
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Ch.216 Feeling Empty on Pat’s Birthday
Sept.1, 2023
Something felt wrong the moment I awakened, about 6 a.m. today. I felt hollow, an emptiness in my belly.
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Ch.215 Grievers’ Enemy: Lonely Weekends
August 2023
I was having coffee with Betty, a recent widow when she said, “I hate weekends, I hate them.” She talked about how lonely she felt on
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Ch.214 An Unexpected Invitation
August 2023
There is an organization of volunteers in the Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls area who run an open-ended support group for grieving individuals, mostly for spouses of loved
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Ch.213 My Two Worlds
Aug 2023
I attended a two-day workshop on grief recently. My goal, when I attend seminars, no matter how long, is a modest
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Ch.211 Critical Decisions: Pat and Levi
Aug. 2023
For almost a decade my collie Levi has carried a fluid-filled sac that hangs from his mid-section. Every time
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Ch.208 Our 58th Anniversary
July 3, 2023
Pat and I were married on July 3, 1965. That means every July I will commemorate almost simultaneously both Pat’s death
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Ch.207 Hanging On or Getting Through My Loss?
June 2023
“I choosy with the pain I feel,” Sarah said. “Some people pain is eternal. Some people worship
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Ch.206 Levi Hasn’t Eaten in Three Days
June 2023
Four mornings ago, my 13-year-old collie Levi began coughing lightly and panting frequently. He began walking more slowly
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