Back in June, I stumbled on something that has really helped with my mental, emotional and spiritual attitude during this pandemic. It has also brought my family closer together. I性视界传媒檓 sharing since it性视界传媒檚 an idea maybe some of you who are also struggling, or even if you're not, might like to try.
As a nation, we are still reeling and trying to come to grips with the fact that we live in a new reality. It is taking a steep toll on our mental and physical health, and affecting how we treat each other. We mourn for our used-to-be lives, and finally realize how many blessings we had and …
Besides spending too much time on Facebook, I am coping with our present reality by also spending as much time as possible on Longview性视界传媒檚 pristine nature trails. The beauty of God性视界传媒檚 creation comforts my mind and heart and brings my soul respite.
This week I was going through old files and random stacks of 性视界传媒渟tuff,性视界传媒 doing my best to cull and organize (a boring but good social-distancing activity).
As I stepped into this new decade alone, I paused and looked back, acutely aware of Byron性视界传媒檚 absence and wishing he was still here to go forward with me. We navigated the previous four decades together. It性视界传媒檚 hard to go it alone without the love of your life.
It性视界传媒檚 been 18 months since I lost my husband Byron to early onset Alzheimer性视界传媒檚 disease. I will never forget what he went through as well as what our family went through during the seven years of his illness. It changes you, and you can性视界传媒檛 look away anymore. You want to do something.
I性视界传媒檓 really yearning for "more cowbell" right about now.
I am not an Alzheimer性视界传媒檚 caregiver anymore, but that was my life and identity for seven years, until a little over a year ago. Caregivers fight a daily battle for the sake of their loved ones in order to give them the best quality of life possible. Ultimately, it is a losing battle. They know…
A year ago today, Byron got to see his Lord face-to-face for the first time.
We rarely think about the gift of life until we have a close call of some sort. It is usually at that moment we start being more thankful for our many blessings, of which being alive is the main one. A close call can re-awaken us to the fact that every day we wake up is an 性视界传媒渆xtra day性视界传媒 that we were not promised.
I性视界传媒檓 loving this beautiful spring weather. It性视界传媒檚 a bittersweet time for me, though, because at this time last year I didn性视界传媒檛 know my husband Byron would only have about six weeks left. He had declined quite a bit during the previous year, but he could still do things like walk, dance, and talk …
Today, January 15th, is our 42nd wedding anniversary. I am remembering with tears and thanksgiving the love and times Byron and I shared. Living life with him was nothing short of a grand adventure. I am also remembering how he showed his children, and all of us, the way to live and die with…
Getting through the first holiday season without your loved one is difficult. People begin warning you of this in October, and start checking on your status in November. (I can性视界传媒檛 tell you when the status-checking ends, because it hasn性视界传媒檛 yet.) But I性视界传媒檓 not complaining. It would be much harder …
It性视界传媒檚 been four months since Byron died. There is never a day that I don性视界传媒檛 think about and miss him terribly. It is a season of uncertainty and grief. But more and more, the memories are making me smile instead of cry, and for that I am grateful.
I kept watch in Byron性视界传媒檚 room two nights while his soul was preparing to leave his body. A mockingbird outside of his window carried on a cheerful concert long into both nights. It comforted me because I knew it was no coincidence. The mockingbird性视界传媒檚 song reminded me there was joy even in the …
性视界传媒淭ake me into the beautiful
I know it性视界传媒檚 blasphemous to many of my fellow Americans when I say that I don性视界传媒檛 care for most Olympic sporting events, especially the Winter Games. Maybe it性视界传媒檚 due to the fact that I hail from East Texas 性视界传媒 where the closest we get to winter sports is on that one day every decade when an inch o…
Folks, we need ideas. Ideas for everything. We have gotten so far disconnected as a society - politically, racially, gender-ly (if that's a word) - that there are no shades of grey. We saw this locally with Marshall's school bond. People seemed staunchly for it or against it and if you asked…
2017 was a difficult year for us. The hardest thing turned out to also be the biggest blessing: Byron's transition to Memory Care at Buckner Westminster Place seven months ago now. There was another hard thing that happened about the same time. I mostly kept it to myself because it made the …
