Today an era ended—Grandma Edie passed away. She was my step grandmother, but having married my grandfather in the 1970s, she was my grandma my whole life. Grandma Edie was strong—physically: she loved to dance, she took Martha Graham dance classes and actually received a masters from Teachers College in physical education in the 1930s. … Continue reading My Grandma Passed Away
Tag: grieving
3-Legged Table
A few years after my father passed away, I remember feeling like my mom, brother, and I were like a 3-legged table. We had been a 4-legged table, then one leg got removed and things were shaky/unknown, but then over time I felt like we were a balanced, stable 3-legged table. We adapted. We created … Continue reading 3-Legged Table
The Five Stages of Grief and Their Relevance to Today
When my father passed away 13 years ago, I entered a period of mourning. Lifelong, in fact, with ebbs and flows. I had learned about the five stages of grief by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in psychology class, but experiencing it for myself was a totally different ballgame. I started off for a year or so in … Continue reading The Five Stages of Grief and Their Relevance to Today
Channeling Suffering Into Creativity
I read an insightful blog post on turning suffering into creativity by Dr. Eric Perry. I find I resonate and learn from many of his posts. The link to this particular blog post is here. I wrote the following in a comment to this blog post: "I have gone through suffering and have also come … Continue reading Channeling Suffering Into Creativity
Why Today is Significant
Today is the day before tomorrow and tomorrow I am traveling back to my childhood home for a memorial for my father. He passed away 13 years ago, and every year since family and friends from the community have gathered to remember him and honor him with words of Torah—that part is my brother. He … Continue reading Why Today is Significant
Arm Circles Around the Pool: Like Father, Like Daughter
Doing arm circles around the pool today, I remembered how my dad did that after swimming laps too. I'm grateful I have so many fond memories of my dad—that he was the kind of person who lives on in others and inspires them. Losing a parent is horrible, but having the deepest of pride for … Continue reading Arm Circles Around the Pool: Like Father, Like Daughter
August 23, 2000: My Flashbulb Memory
August 23, 2000 was a very weird day. It was horrible actually. But the way it became horrible was weird. A flashbulb memory is when you remember something so accurately, even years later, because it was so shocking. Kennedy's assassination is an example often used. 9/11 is another. Well this memory isn't national, rather related … Continue reading August 23, 2000: My Flashbulb Memory
Cherished Childhood Memories
One of the first things I thought after my father passed away when I was 21, was that I had the perfect childhood. It wasn't that growing up didn't involve low self-esteem, shyness, anxiety, etc.—it did. It was just that I had this feeling of gratitude that my father didn't pass away when I was … Continue reading Cherished Childhood Memories
Father’s Day, Remembering Dad
My father passed away suddenly when I was 21. That was almost 13 years ago. Father's Day has been weird ever since. Well, every day has been weird ever since. This year though, instead of memorializing my father on Father's Day—or more commonly, ignoring Father's Day altogether—I posted something on Facebook that celebrated small things … Continue reading Father’s Day, Remembering Dad
Remembering My Father’s Recitation of the Kiddush Blessing
A few weeks ago I recited the Friday night Jewish prayer of Kiddush, sanctifying the Sabbath. My husband usually says it, but I was going to bed extra early so I said it for myself (I pass out early on weekends too ever since I became a mom and have a perpetual 6 am wake … Continue reading Remembering My Father’s Recitation of the Kiddush Blessing
