Remembrances of Karen
I have a few blog posts primed for release. This one has been simmering since the last post about obligation. Some of the post may be dated, but I think it’s still appropriate. This blog may not tell the art of giving advice, but does include some thoughts I have, with love, even if I…
Greetings. Each year I host a gathering at my house in Karen’s honor. It’s not really a birthday party, having no cake or candles, not quite a reunion, since some of us already see each other regularly, but it’s an ad hoc (for a specific purpose) gathering of an eclectic bunch of people who had…
I think I’ll start with speaking about some of the basic components of a good conversation. When we speak with others, there is some give and take involved in any good conversation. We listen to the opening of the conversation, we reply with something we want to share, and then we navigate the course of…
You might have noticed that for the last several weeks I’ve posted one new blog article a week or two. In the last couple years I’ve spoken with people about my vision for Karen’s blog as time goes on, and the one thing that is always on the top of my mind is that I…
Wow! So, if you’ve read the last couple blog posts you know that I feel passionately about the O word, obligation. You might have also picked up some negative vibes about advice and how I think it creates many of the worst kinds of obligations for somebody who is fighting cancer. I admit that I…
Whew! Obligation is a hard thing to describe well, so I’ll try to add some perspective on that. I’d like to talk a little about the “why” about it. First, although I often refer back to my experiences, I’m not writing this at this particular time because of them. I have a family member going…
Karen and I always tried to turn problems into opportunities. We felt that we could figure out how to make something bad into something good. That has been tough with her cancer, and I’ve done my best since her passing to find ways to follow through. Part of the purpose of this blog is now…
I’d like to speak a little about Karen and me. I’ve struggled for five years on how to put this into a blog post without making it seem like I’m giving advice or criticizing others. I’m not sure I’ve achieved that even now, but it’s something I want to speak about. I hope my thoughts…
Karen and I liked to hike. A few years after we married we bought a tract of land in Pickaway county where we wanted to build our “forever home.” After buying the property we faced a situation where our business really needed a warehouse, and instead of building a house we put everything we had…
Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of Karen’s passing. I took the day off and spent some time in the garden and around the yard, and spent time in contemplation. When Karen’s struggle was at the very end, she wanted to hang on long enough to see her wildflowers bloom one more time. She did, and…