On May 30th, 2015, I woke up with a single, foreign thought running through my mind: “This is the first day of my life learning to live without my mom.”

Mom had died the night before at 10:50 pm. For the previous few weeks, she had traveled her end-of-life journey in her apartment at one end of our home.

We were so blessed to experience this sacred time in this way. Mom peaceful and comfortable in her own bed and me getting to care for her with the support of my wonderful husband and fabulous...

With Christmas behind us and New Year’s ahead, many are eager to start packing up the decorations that have been both beautiful and yet thrown off the routine.

In the midst of the trimmings and celebrations has also been the need to attend to the things we normally do, but it can be a challenge to keep up what’s normal in the midst of the holiday mess.

So, those of us who love order - and you know who you are - may be itching to pull out all the bins and boxes which hold the holiday stuff.

While...

As I was growing up, my mom and dad certainly wanted me to do well.

They gave me incredible support and encouragement, always reminding me they were proud of me.

However, within that context, they emphasized it wasn’t the outcome that mattered most, but the effort I applied.

“Sue, it’s not whether you succeed that matters to us,” they’d say. “Just that you give your best effort in whatever you do.”

Maybe that’s not an exact quote, but it’s pretty close.

That sentiment supported my self-esteem then...