Photo: Mike Hunter (the day they brought her home from the shelter) The dementia journey is fraught with loss. At every turn, your loved one is fading away which causes its own sort of slow dying process in your heart as a caregiver. Your emotional state is tied to their wellbeing; each step of their … Continue reading Sharing Loss
Beautiful Schuylar
A light went out this week. She was 31 years old and brightened every room she entered. And while I know Schuyler is free from her cancerous body, I am saddened that when she was separated from it she was also separated from husband and son. Pardon me for saying so, but it isn’t fair. … Continue reading Beautiful Schuylar
Knee Update
I try to be a positive person. I look for the silver lining and generally have learned finding the positive far outweighs the harping on the negative. Yet, I admit I can also be a skeptic. My inner cynic comes out when my life experiences have tainted me in a negative way. My medical history … Continue reading Knee Update
Gallivanting
A special guest blog by my sister, Melinda Jenkins. For several years, my family and I have watched dementia take little chunks of my mom’s memory away, slowly, piece by piece. After my parents moved off the mountain in Highlands to Lanier Village Estates in Gainesville, the disease seemed to escalate in the most difficult … Continue reading Gallivanting
Downsizing…Again
If you have elderly parents you likely know what it means to downsize. I think of it like the college stage with my kids where they moved every year or so, only each time my parents move they get rid of more and more family heirlooms. And each time it gets harder to part with … Continue reading Downsizing…Again
The Memory Table
I think memory tables at weddings are a beautiful tradition. It is a lovely sentiment to display photos and mementos of family members who had an impact on the bride and groom. These ancestors’ faces smile in approval from frames on tablecloths. The candles lit in their memory, or flowers set beside their photos make … Continue reading The Memory Table
A Baby and A Wedding
I gave birth to a tiny baby girl. Hannah Elizabeth. My first. She was wide-eyed as she came into the world. She looked up into my eyes and held my gaze. No crying. Just a stare that felt as if she’d known me my whole life. She looked into me and I into her. We … Continue reading A Baby and A Wedding
Eulogy of a Trail
The nice thing about having my own blog is that there are no word limits. This piece about the Tesnatee Gap Valley Nature Trail is dear to my heart. So much so that my original draft was over 2,000 words! Yikes! That is long, even for me! I cut it down to 1,500 and submitted … Continue reading Eulogy of a Trail
The Garden
There is a patch of earth that lies fallow all winter. I pass the plain brown dirt on my daily path. Every year I await signs of spring, one of which is the tilling of The Garden. The covering of dull dirt is a disguise for the rich soil beneath. When painstakingly turned, the deeper … Continue reading The Garden
Surprised by Grief
Sometimes tears pop out of my eyes for no reason. At least, I don’t usually know why at the moment it happens. It is unexpected, and it hits in the most unlikely of places. I am familiar with how much my senses can trigger my tears. I remember when Hannah was traveling the world for … Continue reading Surprised by Grief
Michelle's Mosaic 