More than once my cousin Lois Ann asked me to attend her winter wedding. She and I reconnected last year when my mother’s health began to fail. During Mom’s final week, Lois texted me often with encouragement and support. Since I rarely left Mom’s apartment, the fabulous gourmet food basket Lois sent came in very
The first marriage conference Tony and I attended was pretty much a fiasco. Suffice it to say, our car was silent on the drive home. The window I rested my cheek on felt cool which was a good thing since my face was flushed from all the emotions simmering inside of me. Was our marriage
‘-Less than 24 hours home from vacation, I reach for my phone. To call my mother to say I’m back, that I’ll visit soon. Then I remember, she’s no longer here. -Flying back east from our Arizona Fiesta Bowl adventure, I check my phone calendar. “Order flowers for Mom’s January 15th birthday.” Throat tight, I delete
We weren’t even in the humongous box store five minutes when I felt a tug on my sleeve. I smiled down at my five-year old son. “Mom? The clues for the Easter basket scavenger hunt are from a computer. I don’t think the Easter Bunny has a computer. Are you the Easter Bunny? You and
Is the headline below how you feel about shopping for holiday gifts for guys? Q: What is a woman’s favorite holiday w(h)ine? A: “Guys are so hard to buy for!” To help you tackle this problem, I put together an extensive list of ideas for holiday gifts for guys. In order to facilitate your shopping
Looking back, it’s a blur, a filmy orange streak. Thanksgiving Day 2012, that is. I thought I was ready, that this would be the year I’d achieve my goal. I didn’t want much, just to get all the food on the table at the same time. At the appropriate temperature. I was on track, too,
by Cole Bozic I didn’t know that on February 1, 2017 my career trajectory would change and shove me into the world of wills and trusts and estates. And maybe I didn’t really understand how the events of that day would effect my decisions until much, much later. You see, On February 1, 2017, my
Twenty-one days ago, my mother passed away. The moment was beautiful—peaceful and holy— and I am so thankful I was with her. Mom’s death served as the final exam for a course I’ve been taking for at least a year now, Death 102: When the end is near (or here). Below, you’ll find my notes from the
One day during my lunch hour in downtown Cincinnati—I lived and worked there in the 80’s—as I walked toward Fountain Square, two gals came at me, arm in arm. The younger woman’s grin was the spitting image of her mom’s. When I stepped in front of them, they stopped walking and talking, their limbs suddenly stiff, their eyes
I’ve come a long way, baby. From being the scarediest of cats about so many things. High bridges, for instance. And death. For the longest time, my parents sheltered my brothers and me from post-mortem matters. It wasn’t until the eighth grade that I attended a funeral, my paternal grandfather’s. In the back of the
