SISTERSDina, left, with Shelly (2002) As well acquainted as I am with grief, I’ve been blessed not to lose anyone close to me too soon since I lost my fiancé, Dana, thirty years ago. I’m an only child, and my wife Shelly has just one sibling, her older sister Dina. After painfully struggling for a … Continue reading A Meaningful Life
8 years ago today Shelly’s life was forever changed by that freak accident in our kitchen.We learned how fortunate we were that it didn’t take her life.I think back to those early days where she was unable to walk or talk, and I am amazed at the progress that she has continually made to get … Continue reading My Wife. My Hero.
30 years. For me, milestone anniversaries always add an additional layer of reflection and perspective. I think back to those significant, fun-filled days leading up to November 13, 1990. We didn’t have a care in the world. The future was ours with an unlimited amount of potential and happiness ahead. We often talked about how … Continue reading What 30 Years Means to Me
The older we get the more we reflect on what has been; as well as lamenting on what possibly should have been. Time is complex. Time gives reason to celebrate as well as reason to regret. Into my 50’s now, my perspective has come into focus over the past few years to a point where … Continue reading When Time Allows for Contentment
Every year I share the 9/11 story of myself and my lifelong best friend. It’s an amazing story of baseball, beer and friendship. In 2016 our story went viral by being told by Mike Rowe on his “The Way I Heard It” podcast. The episode was called “You Don’t Know Mike”. Here is our story. Back in 2001 I … Continue reading 9/11/01: My Story
Continuing to inch closer to completing my book, this morning I was working on a particular point in time that was a crucial point in my journey. My visit to Dana's room after 24 years pulled so much together in giving me the grace for some much needed peace. The writing of this visit was … Continue reading Revisiting the Upstairs Room
It’s now day 50-something of staying home. I’ve often written about how not many years ago I began the ability of seeing and expressing gratitude within my life. Once this ability presented itself, I have been able to look at life completely differently. Prior to this I teetered between feeling sorry for myself and being … Continue reading My Blessings of Joy
As I work from home, what I am working hardest on is staying positive and grateful as the world navigates through this uncharted territory. We are seeing plenty of bad; just turn on the news, or scroll through your Facebook feed and you will see it. A lot of it. But I am choosing to … Continue reading At Home with Gratitude
In December "Elephant Journal" asked me to update "My Story" by diving deeper into some of the lessons that I have learned. They published my updated version (here); which I am also posting below. Thank you for reading 🙂 "Time heals all wounds" is a phrase that we all hear often. Living with a significant loss … Continue reading Never Married but Still a Widower: Finding Gratitude Years after my Girlfriend’s Death.
I originally shared the story of Shelly's inspiring journey almost two years ago. It's since been published by sites such as The Mighty and Love What Matters as well as being shared by MSN and Yahoo. I updated the piece for the Elephant Journal. Last week they published it on their site. Below is the … Continue reading My Wife’s Life-Changing Freak Accident & her Battle with a Traumatic Brain Injury.
