163 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.162 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.161 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.160 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.159 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. 158 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.157 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.156 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.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
June 21, 2022
The Refuge, Pat’s memory care facility, has a small but attractive courtyard in which residents can sit, take short walks, and visit. I take Pat there every day
Read more
120.8 pounds. That’s Pat’s most recent weight. This from a woman who weighed over 200 pounds before Lewy Body began its attack on her brain and body. True, Pat is
Read more
June 2022
I have feared this moment, the instant when I must type the following message: Pat can no longer contribute her words to our dialogue.
Now,
Read more
May 2022
It took me forty-five seconds to walk speedily from the dining room to the kitchen, open the cupboard, select a wide but short glass, and
Read more