The hallway started to feel a little toasty on that December afternoon at the Fresno County Courthouse as forty friends and family packed in for the momentous occasion. The joy in the air was palpable for the official adoption ceremony of my three daughters by my husband Shawn. Shawn and I married seven years ago after my first husband [...] Keep Reading
Navigating Grief
When God meets us in ocean waves
My one request for my 45th birthday was to go to the ocean. My husband Shawn and three daughters took me to a little beach town along the Central Coast of California called Cambria. I didn’t realize until we arrived that this was the same town my late husband Ericlee took me for my birthday almost 20 years ago. The memories [...] Keep Reading
Walking toward healing: Rehab for the broken hearted
Pam and I are both writers who are part of a group called Hopewriters. We met in person several years ago at the World Conference for the American Association of Christian Counselors. I sat in on her workshop and listened intently as she shared her story and suggestions on how to help widows navigate grief. I resonated with so many of her personal [...] Keep Reading
5 myths and 1 important truth about grief
After my husband’s death, I quickly discovered people had a lot to say about grief. As a young widow at age 37 and mother of three young girls, I was often surprised by the comments. Sometimes they would share their insights in hopes of offering comfort. Oftentimes these opinions were driven by myths about grief that get passed around, rather than [...] Keep Reading
Nobody wants to be part of that club
My oldest daughter and I snuck into the back of the church just before the memorial service started. She asked me to go with her to support one of her classmates, whose dad had died several months earlier while out for a jog. Because of the pandemic, the family had waited to host this celebration of his life so more people could attend. We [...] Keep Reading
How to navigate through the fog of uncertainty
I grew up in Chicago where winters were punctuated by blustery winds, snow drifts, and icy roads. I remember having to put on all the layers to bundle up before school and the strange sensation of my nose hairs freezing when I stepped outside our front door in the morning. After college, I moved to Central California to chase a career as a [...] Keep Reading
