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Life and loss in 140 characters.
Steve Jobs died yesterday. We all knew it was coming, because a guy like him doesn’t step down from a job he loves without a struggle. He was an inspirational force of nature, and I took some time...
View ArticleDeath and how to survive it.
My friend is dying. As in, my friend is dying right this very moment. While I sit through meeting after meeting and talk about things that are so important in the context of work, my friend is in the...
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Little girl lost.
My grandmother is dying. As she lays unresponsive in an Iowa hospital, I’m keenly aware of the impending loss. I have many memories of this woman who took the time to pay attention to a child used to...
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In memoriam.
My grandmother passed away this morning. I’m still processing the news, but I can tell you she was a treasure and a comfort to me, and I am thankful to have had her in my life. It is bittersweet to...
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Keeping a boy’s dream alive.
This week, in the midst of holiday cheer, our Penn State community received news that stopped us all in our tracks. Dean Chris Brady of the Schreyer Honors College here at Penn State tragically lost...
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Mad world.
It’s 2:30 in the morning, and I can’t sleep. My mind still races. It’s filled with a kaleidoscopic collection of images and emotions and injuries and death. Some of it is Boston and today’s attack on...
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Maternal instinct.
My house is quiet this morning as I sit at the table, contemplating the early sky through the window. Gentle tendrils of steam escape from my mug of coffee, the ceramic feeling reassuringly warm in my...
View ArticleA series of unfortunate events.
It’s been 16 weeks to the day since my son was hit by an SUV while riding his bike to class on his first day as a Penn State freshman. In that time, a college semester has started and ended. Late...
View ArticleWanting.
It’s been eight weeks to the day since I knew something was desperately wrong. In 48 hours, she was gone. I am still a hot mess. I want to be able to write about her. I want to be able to remember the...
View ArticleGold dust woman.
TRIGGER WARNING: Physical and sexual abuse, themes of dominance and control It’s been two months since my mother died. Almost two months since I drove to Iowa and stood at her graveside in a small...
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Memories and families.
My aunt died this week. I knew it was coming; I saw her in January when I went out to Iowa for my mother’s funeral and I could see her health was failing. Other than my father’s funeral five years ago,...
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