There was a lot of drama
I’ve traveled many times to the beautiful Southwest corner of Utah. Eastern Utah has been so close, and so far, since moving to Denver, but I finally made it there. Six days of hiking, in and around Moab, with 10 people who were strangers to me, plus two guides. What could go wrong? I guess…
A sprinkle of gold dust
I was honored to recently attend an event with a close community who share strong faith and fellowship. The theme was “A Broken Masterpiece.” It was dreamed, organized, planned and executed by a woman who, like me, discovered meaning in the art of Kintsugi during her grief journey after suffering a devastating loss. Kintsugi is…
I wish
I wish. Two words that pop into my head a lot. Surely, it is inevitable after a loved one dies. I just finished reading the book The Women, by Kristin Hannah. It’s historical fiction about the role women played during the Vietnam war, in country. A good book, though not the point of this blog.…
A chance to bloom
Mount Sniktau, one of my favorite summer hikes, is both stunning and harsh. The first mile up (which is also the last mile down) is a steep, forty-six percent grade with loose rocks and dirt, and the wind is rarely less than 10 miles per hour. I often chose Mt Sniktau as one of my…
I will NOT try to fix you
I hear people say this a lot. “I just can’t get it right.” When offering words of solace, all of it feels utterly incorrect. If you say, I understand what you are going through, you realize this can’t be true. No one can truly understand another person’s loss. If you say, I’m here if you need…
UnComfortably numb
Acute grief, the early stage of grief, is hard. While that probably goes without saying, let me add that for me, it was also very different from the rest. This may be especially true when losing someone essential to your life. A person who is so much a part of who you are. A person…
It’s still winter
In September 2021 I wrote, Can’t You Hear the Whumpfhing. And darn, I am still hearing the whumpfing. Less subtle. More frequent. Increasingly frightening. It has been an active avalanche season here in Colorado. And, there are several big snow storms happening in our mountains as I write. It’s April. It’s still winter. So yes,…
You were out of my league
Because you are reading this, you already know that I believe in signs -that I am open to them, I am observant of them, and I receive them. I also feel pretty certain that if there was anybody who could pull off sending signs, it’s Tim. There are two main reasons why I know he…
It’s only a car
Grief changes over time. It becomes different. I believe you will hear this from most people who have been mourning a significant loss. Even still, it doesn’t really go away. And moments will arise that will remind you of this truth. In March 2018 Tim and I were putting plans in motion for a new…
There are endless ways to receive her rewards
I say it a lot, and I feel it even more. Nature heals. In 2024, I went on 88 hikes, thirty-seven of which were on trails new to me. For the past five years, I’ve been documenting my annual hiking activity (which includes snowshoeing). I’m never trying to achieve a goal, but I get out…