Emptying the house of its contents involved going through countless papers, knickknacks, boxes, closets, cabinets, and cubbyholes. Some decisions were easy; many others were not. How do you dispose of years of living, the lives of loved ones, and the mementos thereof?
Category: Transitions
Don’t Have a Facelift, Have a Life Lift Instead
When I’m eighty-five I want to look back at the way I was when I was sixty-five and think, hey I wasn’t bad, I did my best. I didn’t give up.’
Piecing Life Together After Loss
I’m a grief counselor. I work in hospice care, reaching out to the loved ones after the patient dies. I call them a couple of weeks after the death and ask them how they’re doing. Then I listen. Like many of us, one woman had just lost her elderly mother. “I’m better than I was,”…
What Will We Leave Behind and How Shall We Be Remembered?
We may leave our things but the real essence of ourselves is contained in our memories, and the memories of others. As you think about what to write, consider taking a class to guide you. I am only on lesson three but was eager to share what I’ve done, in hopes it can inspire others to write.
Life Pivots Require Courage and a Willingness to Change
Life pivots produce personal growth and spur forward motion. When hardship, grief, difficult decisions, and other life events require a significant pivot, faith is the guiding light in the darkness.
Retirement Identity Crisis
Life is filled with transitions. If you lean into them, your life will be enriched if you embrace the adventure and move through the transitions. On the other hand, if you fail to embrace the changes and transitions, you might become bitter and feel useless.
Teaching This Old Dog Some New Tricks
My teacher kept telling me, “Stop thinking; just paint,” so I did. What came out of it was a very powerful painting that is still one of my favorites to this day. I titled it, Emerging/Disappearing?.
This was the beginning of a new direction in painting for me as I found that it gave me an outlet for all the emotions I had buried all my life. I have since sold many pieces and done commissions.
Braces, Bifocals, and a Baby!
I reflected on the proclamation from the doctors who told me that I would never, ever, no matter what, be able to have a child, and that appeared to be the case for several years after major surgery to improve my prospects for motherhood failed. During that time, I truly gave in to God, found the strength to move on, and found ways to utilize my God given gifts and talents. As my girlfriends were becoming empty nesters and doting grandmas, I suddenly found that I would soon be in the throes of mid-life first time motherhood.
Unlock Your Potential with a New Adventure
Are you feeling unfulfilled and stuck in your current routine? I understand how you feel. Several years ago, I found myself in a similar situation. My family had suffered a string of devastating losses, and as an empty nester, I was grappling with a newfound lack of purpose. Reflect and Rely on Faith I took…
Memories as Mementos
I’ve helped my grandfather move from his home in Texas to a senior living home in New Mexico to a nursing home to heaven. I’ve watched my mom move from her large home in the Albuquerque foothills to an over 55 apartment near me. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that it’s emotionally exhausting to downsize. And the great lesson is, sometimes stuff is just stuff. But memories last forever.