The Grieving Process
Why Christmas Eve Service?
What happened last year, was repeated again this year at the Stony Creek Congregational Church in picturesque Stony Creek, Branford, without any preconceived expectations that it would. From the setting and the sermon of the Reverend James, to the singing of the carols and hymns in the beautiful and cozy church, I was moved…
Read MoreSam and Ick, Holiday Feelings
Most people want to hear happy stuff. And I do laugh every day, it’s on my list of requirements. But I want to attempt to describe an emotion. It’s a little bit of a mix I think I need to talk to Ick about this. Sam (Seasonal Affective Management): Ick, I am feeling…
Read MoreNed’s Dad’s funeral
The hole in the ground looked much smaller than his dad was tall. He wondered if they squish the body inside the coffin to make them smaller, so the grave hole doesn’t have to be so big and the cemetery saves space and they can fit more graves. But the hole did seem deep. …
Read MoreAfter IT – The Sound of Dirt
Two days later, the day of the funeral is mild and sunny. The hole in the ground is much smaller than he was tall. Or so it seems when vertical is converted to horizontal. But it does seem deep. The casket is lowered in and there is at least four feet between the top…
Read More“IT” Changed My World
I can’t understand why she keeps repeating his name. “Harvey. HARvey. HARVEY.” Louder and louder, after his black and gold wind-up Benrus alarm clock ran down, its bell sounds making a decrescendo from shrill to soft to silent. My mom’s voice swells from normal to loud to shriek. As she keeps saying his name…
Read MoreDear Dad – Happy Birthday
My dad would have been 95 tomorrow. If only he had lived to tell me, to answer my questions, especially, what is life all about? “Dad, you never answered me when I asked about life, when I was 7. Thankfully, I am finding out to some extent now. Better late than never. Maybe you didn’t…
Read MoreSong – Anniversary Without performed
First time posting one of my songs on this website, I think, but don’t hold me to that. I have about twenty that I have written and about another twenty covers that I have recorded on my channel. This is a song I just posted to my youtube channel. It is about dealing with anniversaries…
Read MoreAbout the Tree
About the Tree… One of the things we have talked about in my meditation class is impermanence, how things change constantly. And attachment. How getting attached is human. The two seem to go hand-in-hand. As long as I learn to accept impermanence, and learn to accept getting unattached, I won’t be an anxious wreck all the…
Read MoreSong – Anniversary Without – Lyrics
What do you want someone to say to you, what do I want someone to say to me, what do I say to someone, who spouse has died, and their anniversary date arrives? Do I say something to them, or do I ignore it like the pink elephant in the room? Lots of times…
Read MoreShovel Full of Dirt
When he was gone I realized I lost my favorite parent. The one I preferred to wipe my ass when I needed it wiped. The one who protected me when I thought someone was going to beat me up on the last day of elementary school. He had been born in Brooklyn. As an adult…
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