A New Bloom

I may have mentioned that I’m presently reading Hearts of Fire. The stories of eight women in underground churches in different parts of the world is amazing. I received it last year but had not opened a single page until last week. I was part-way through Gladys’  story about how her husband and two sons…

When someone Leaves for the Great Beyond, those remaining must begin, at some point, to pick up the pieces.Of everything:Shards of broken heart.Bits of memories that randomly flutter in like leaves.Tears that fall intermittently like Southern California rain.And then there is the cleaning, the removal of papers, clothes, and various bric-a-brac that no longer fit…

It’s strange to get a letter in the post labeled ‘To the Estate of’. They typically come along and require some sort of action or information.The first one I received sat, face down, for about two weeks. Yesterday I opened it again and called the number inside. The person on the other end, a very…

I popped into a convenience store the other day, desiring something sweet. Chocolate, I figured, would take care of the problem.Chocolate almost always works.I looked up and down at all the neatly lined boxes and tried to get excited about something. Anything.I paused at the Caramellos, one of my all-time favorites: they were on a…

I believe Christopher would have said something like, Why are you surprised? It’s nothing new. It’ll be all right.After various runs-around, today was the day I was to be given my Christopher’s ashes. The person I have been working with at the mortuary described it as when they ‘entrust him to my care.’Based on the process,…