Ch.222 Wailing on the Day Pat DiedOct.2023The new six-week grief group that I am co-facilitating met for the first time on Tuesday. Halfway through the group, Wendy, my fellow facilitator, Read more

Ch.235 Pre-Arranging My Funeral Jan. 2024           There are some things one should not attempt to discuss via texting. I found that out when I texted a message to my Read more

Ch.234 Thirteen Pounds of Salt Jan.2024           This morning I was cleaning out the closet in our computer room, yet another place where Pat had placed mysterious objects, Read more

Ch.233 Eighteen Months A Widower Jan.1, 2024           I didn’t anticipate that this anniversary would hit so painfully. I expected 2’s and 3’s on the emotional pain scale, Read more

Ch.232 Second Christmas Without Pat Dec. 2023           I just re-read my blog from Dec.26, 2022, exactly one year ago today. Very positive. Optimistic. Full of caring people. Read more

Ch.231 Loneliness Panic Attack Dec.2023           It’s 9 a.m. on the Friday before Christmas. I’ve taken my morning walk with Levi. Eaten toast and yogurt with a cup Read more

Ch.230 Pat Guides Me Through the Desert Dec 2023           Last night I participated in my monthly “Brothers and Wives” Zoom session. We had a good time together, Read more

Ch.229 My Twin Brother and My New Life Dec.2023           My twin brother Don was coming for a visit, his first here since shortly after Pat died. Eight Read more

Ch.228 I Can See Pat Better Now Dec.2023           C.S. Lewis, in A Grief Observed, writes something that caught me completely by surprise: “…passionate grief does not link us with Read more

Ch.227 I’m Grateful for All Those Who Care About Me  Nov.2023           I’ve had three interactions this week that helped me feel connected and cared about by many Read more

Ch.226 Ron the Extrovert Nov.2023           Last night I attended a “Gala” at Azura Memory Care, in celebration of their record-setting pace in collecting donations for the annual Read more

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; Read more

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 Read more

Ch.223 My Grieving Brain           Oct.2023           About eight months ago I made an appointment with a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, Read more

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 Read more

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 Read more

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 Read more

Ch.219 I Feel Too Full of Feelings Sept. 2023           Do you remember the phrase from a John Denver ballad (“Annie’s Song): “You fill up my senses”?     Read more

Ch.218 What Happened to “Us” When Pat Died? Oct. 2023                 The day Pat died, I felt as if I was being split in two. Read more

Ch.217 Why Is Grief Such a Strange Feeling? Sept. 2023           One thing that has puzzled me all through the last 15 months is why does grief feel Read more