Grief is the roommate that no one wants, that comes uninvited when our loved one dies. It isn’t always as painful as the initial moment of death, but it’s a hum always playing in the background that can become a full orchestra at a moment’s notice. Until I lived through the death of my husband,…… Continue reading Finding Joy and Healing Through Improv: A Personal Story
Category: Bittersweet Life
Coping Tools for Dealing with Grief and Stress: A Personal Journey
When I get a call at an unexpected time from my daughter, my brain goes to a place where something’s wrong, or someone has died. I know that this is her reaction as well because we have lived through the traumatic sudden death of my husband and her father. Last week, she called me from…… Continue reading Coping Tools for Dealing with Grief and Stress: A Personal Journey
Navigating Grief: Lessons from Road Work
Phoenix, like most cities, seems to be under constant road construction. The other day, I was heading to a meeting and running late when the road narrowed to one lane. Unsure of how far the construction would be, I debated turning off to a side street but continued on the route. Fortunately, when I got…… Continue reading Navigating Grief: Lessons from Road Work
Nostalgic Memories and Family Traditions: A Personal Reflection
The wisps of melancholy flow through my body as the airplane lifts off the Syracuse tarmac, and I head back home to Phoenix. It has been a whirlwind weekend celebrating my daughter’s wedding and seeing family and friends. As I move across the sky, my body aches as I leave those I love behind and…… Continue reading Nostalgic Memories and Family Traditions: A Personal Reflection
Grief Ghost: Coping With Loss and Memories
Grief Ghost It’s living with the ghost of Christmas Past, for no more memories can be made. Images that appear in your dreams Or your thoughts in the middle of the night As you lie awake, sleep evades you. It comes unbidden when those special days draw near. Wedding anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, death dates, and…… Continue reading Grief Ghost: Coping With Loss and Memories
Lucky, Grateful, Bittersweet
“I feel extremely lucky, extremely grateful, and a little bit bittersweet too.” ~Wentworth Miller The mixture of luck, gratitude, and bittersweet is how I best describe my life. Each one plays a part in who I am today, but since the death of my husband and the subsequent deaths of my mom and dad, bittersweet…… Continue reading Lucky, Grateful, Bittersweet
A Love Story
Watching the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Eternal Memory” gave me a new perspective on my mom’s Alzheimer’s and my parents’ deaths. Director Maite Alberdi shares the compelling story of Augusto Gongora, a producer and editor, and Paulina Urrutia, an actress, a married couple in Chile, and their story of living with Augusto’s Alzheimer’s. Because the grief…… Continue reading A Love Story
Unrequited Dreams
Empty chairs where we will never sit, Holding hands, reminiscing. Time stolen by an adversary Too strong to be beaten. You left too soonLeaving me behind to find a new path.Some days, the grief is the background staticSwirling around in my mind.Just when I’m feeling steady in my journey,The grief becomes a tsunami,Tearing apart the…… Continue reading Unrequited Dreams
Illness and Grief
“A Shadow of Myself” @beautifulbittersweetlife Last night, I looked at the Phoenix Film Festival website, an organization for which I’ve been a volunteer photographer since 2016. It is one of my favorite yearly events. It allows me to connect with fellow volunteers, meet people who make independent films, see interesting films that aren’t available in…… Continue reading Illness and Grief
Holiday Reflection, 2023
This will be the twelfth Christmas since Mike died and the second without my parents. This is the first Christmas I’m the only living creature in my home since my cat, Bella, died in October. Since December 8th, my holiday grief has kicked into high gear. I have begun to cycle between joy and tears.…… Continue reading Holiday Reflection, 2023
Beautiful Bittersweet Life 
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