Ch.172  Looking Ahead to an Uncertain Future Oct.2022           “Not me! I’m never going through this again!”           I was speaking with a group of Read more

Ch.164 A Rainbow Appears Just When I Need It Oct. 2022           If nights are the loneliest times for a widower, then weekends come in a close second. Read more

Ch.163 Empathy for A Couple Dealing with Dementia Oct.2022           Pat had only recently been diagnosed with Lewy Body when we happened upon a former colleague of ours, Read more

Ch.162 Ron Begins to Recover his Sense of Humor           Sept.30, 2022           Nicole, the Director at Azura Memory Care, asked me to be Read more

Ch.161 Chasing After My Horse and Wondering About my Future.            Sept. 24, 2022           6:30 a.m. I’m waking up in my bed. I Read more

Ch.160 Good Signs I am Returning to Life  Sept.21, 2022           I have been feeling lately that I am gradually emerging from the fog created by death and Read more

Ch.159 Ron Goes to a Quilting Show with a Friend and With Pat. Sept. 7-8, 2022           Several years ago, Pat and I travelled to Madison, WI just Read more

Ch.158 I Visit Pat’s Grave on Her Birthday  Sept.1 and 2, 2022           Pat would have been 78 years old on Sept.1, exactly two months after her death Read more

Ch.157 Happy Memories Don’t Have to Make Me Sad August 29, 2022           There are several ways I can drive the 100 miles to my daughter Cindy’s home Read more

Ch.156 A Good Sign: I Realize I Am Not Alone in Grieving August 21, 2022 My twin brother Don flew in from Canada last week to spend time with me. Don hadn’t Read more

Ch.155 I Watch a Loving Couple Holding Hands – and I Remember Aug 11, 2022. About two years ago my son Joshua and his wife Patty asked us if they could make Read more

Ch.154 A Fisherman Named Grief Reels Me In           August 6, 2022 Showering has become a dangerous time for me. This morning, as has occurred frequently, I was Read more

Ch.153 Now What Will Give Meaning to My Life?  August 5, 2022 I wrote in a previous essay about my fear of boredom, of having to find things to replace the roughly Read more

Ch.152 Transitions  August 3, 2022            I made a promise to myself not to make any significant decisions during my first month of grieving for Pat. I had Read more

Ch. 151 Heartache           July 28, 2022. Several weeks ago, I agreed to a request from Marian, a social worker at Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, to speak Read more

Ch.149 Unprepared for Life After Lewy Body: My Fear of Boredom July 9, 2022 Today, eight days after my wife Pat died from the effects of Lewy Body Dementia, I read about Read more

Ch.150 Beautiful Service, Somber Burial, and Unending Grief Monday, July 25, 2022             Pat was honored on Saturday with a combination funeral and celebration of her life. Read more

Ch.148 PAT POTTER-EFRON OBITUARY Patricia Sue Potter-Efron, 77, passed away on Friday, July 1, 2022, at Azura Memory Care Center, from a combination of Lewy Body Dementia and the auto-immune disorder Read more

Ch. 147 Pat Quietly Passes Away June 30 and July 1,2022 I answered the phone just as I was about to leave my house to drive to The Refuge. “Will you get Read more

Ch.146 Ron Feels a Premonition June 27,2022. I don’t believe in premonitions, I’m telling myself. I’ve never had one, either… until this morning. But today, when I came to The Refuge and Read more