October 2009

A Brick In Memory of Richard

Thumbnail image for A Brick In Memory of Richard October 31, 2009

After Richard’s death we asked friends and family to make donations in memory of him to a couple of charities. Since Richard was an eagle scout the Boy Scouts of America were a natural choice. We also chose the WHAS Crusade for Children. The Crusade for Children is a local charity, featuring a weekend long [...]

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Our First Halloween at the Cemetery

Thumbnail image for Our First Halloween at the Cemetery October 31, 2009

Richard was a big fan of Halloween. So we had to do a little decorating around his tombstone. One tradition at our church has been a Halloween party for the kids. As part of this celebration there was often a haunted house – if there were enough older kids to run it. When Richard was [...]

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Full of Joy?

Thumbnail image for Full of Joy? October 27, 2009

The Responsorial Psalm at mass yesterday got my attention. It was: “The Lord has done great things for us. We are filled with joy.” Filled with joy? It’s now been five months since Richard left us. I’ll admit the Lord has done great things for us. And I’m grateful for them. Honest. And I keep [...]

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Questions with No Answers

Thumbnail image for Questions with No Answers October 23, 2009

The death of your child leaves you with a lot of questions. There are lots of “what if” and “why didn’t I” type questions. The ones that come from that guilty feeling that you should have done something to prevent this. But I have other questions. Questions I’ll never be able to answer. The day [...]

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Saying Thank You Shouldn’t Be So Tough

Thumbnail image for Saying Thank You Shouldn’t Be So Tough October 13, 2009

After Richard’s funeral we wrote thank you cards like crazy. We sent one to just about everyone that signed our guest book at the funeral home. And to all the people that sent flowers or food. We sent out several huge piles. We tried to avoid being too generic, and put personal notes in each [...]

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Quit Kissing My Ashes Review

Thumbnail image for Quit Kissing My Ashes Review October 9, 2009

I don’t remember how I stumbled onto this book. I guess I was looking for some hints on dealing with grief. Certainly the thought that our son isn’t really dead is a nice one. That our physical death is just the transformation into another phase of our life. Stop Kissing My Ashes – A Mother’s [...]

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Farewell Letter

Thumbnail image for Farewell Letter October 8, 2009

The day before Richard’s funeral we had a visitation at the funeral home. I wrote a letter to our guests. We framed it and displayed it next to the guest book along with a picture of Richard. Many people asked me for a copy of that letter. For the life of me, I can’t imagine [...]

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Butterflies

Thumbnail image for Butterflies October 4, 2009

It is fall. A nice time to be outside. Debbie was in the backyard cooking our supper on the grill. Grilling may be the husband’s job in most households but we like the food to be edible when it’s done, so Debbie usually handles this chore. I was riding around on my lawnmower. Debbie motioned [...]

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Memorial Montage

Thumbnail image for Memorial Montage October 2, 2009

Memories. As grieving parents, they’re all we have left of our missing child. Pictures are one of the best ways to share those memories. But if you’re like us, those pictures may be squirreled away in boxes, or in  many photo albums. We’ve got another option to help put your child’s life on display – [...]

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