Category Archives: Grief Journal

When I was 19, most of my friends were alcoholics and addicts. None of us had futures plotted out. None of us believed our lives merited such worth. We tended bars and waited tables and partied hard in between. We were surviving, scraping up affection wherever we could get it- often through one-night stands andContinue reading “27. In Conclusion”

I know. I’m behind. I’ve avoided writing the last few weeks… because I want to write only good things. Because I get tired of the saga.  I have realized something. For eighteen months I have been waiting for my life to return to what it used to be… for myself to return to who itContinue reading “26. Head and Heart”

It’s my 25th post. It has been nearly a year since I began this blog. The title of it… (un)tethered… was shaped by the profound sense of disconnection I had from my own life after my brother’s death. Not just his death but the abandonment of my vocation and, consequently, home. I had the sensationContinue reading “25. All Things Made New”

Well, I had intended to post this weeks ago but, as I was still working through much of this content, it took me a little time to be fully ready.  The rollercoaster of life continues to swing from big highs to deep lows (I’ll give an update on grad school at the end, for thoseContinue reading “24. The Work of the Living”

I had an entirely different post lined up for this week, but given the events of the last few days, I’ve decided to hold onto it and talk about this instead… The Good The highs and lows of the past few weeks have been so extreme that I never know how I’ll feel from oneContinue reading “23. The Good, The Bad, The (very) Ugly, & the Redeemed”

For those who follow me on social media, this will come as repeat news. It has taken me a few days to make it over to the blog for an update.  The very excellent news is that I have been admitted to VCU’s Ph.D. in Education Leadership, Policy, and Justice. It is one of twoContinue reading “22. The Horizon”

The question I am asked most often is, “what happened?” What could have possibly led someone as outgoing, generous, and gregarious as my brother to take his own life?  I think I understand that answer a lot more now than I did a year ago, though no one will ever be able to say exactlyContinue reading “21. January 27, 2020”

I’ve been thinking a lot about time lately, mostly because I’m in a place to observe how I spend it. That is probably true for most of us lately. I’ve been asked a few times recently how I’m spending my days. It’s a tough question to answer. Last week was slightly derailed by the third semi-moveContinue reading “20. Time”

Hi. Me again. I wish I could say I woke up this morning hungover from the revelries of New Year’s Eve celebrations, but I was in bed by 10 last night. Instead, I woke up with what Brene Brown refers to as a “vulnerability hangover.” Last night was the first time, perhaps since I wasContinue reading “19. 2021”

December 25. Christmas Morning.  I get up early to start breakfast. I make my daughter her favorite hot chocolate- lactose-free milk topped with fresh-made whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg. I want it to look picturesque and abundant, as though I might cram all my best intentions and care-worn love into thatContinue reading “18. The Bleak Midwinter”