Lessons Learned From the Edge of Life

I can't quite figure out what just happened, but I am getting there. I nearly died from coronavirus pneumonia. My wife, our two sons, their girlfriends and I all met in San Diego for a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend. While there all six of us got sick, but only my wife Shelly and I had symptoms … Continue reading Lessons Learned From the Edge of Life

KEEP PLAYING

The "Keep Playing" email is an uplifting start to each day for us at Fairway Independent Mortgage. Originally it was written daily by Jake, our founder & CEO, Steve Jacobson. Now every day a different person from our company shares a little piece of themselves. Last year I shared my 9/11 story. Today I shared … Continue reading KEEP PLAYING

My Blessings of Joy

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

Never Married but Still a Widower: Finding Gratitude Years after my Girlfriend’s Death.

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.

My Wife’s Life-Changing Freak Accident & her Battle with a Traumatic Brain Injury.

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.

Resilience and Perspective Revisited

For well over a year I have been working on a book that chronicles my resilient journey through adversity. I am more than 75% done with the first draft. I'm working hard to find the proper time to meet my goal of having the first draft done and to my publisher early in the new … Continue reading Resilience and Perspective Revisited

New Traditions for Getting Through the 4th of July With a TBI and PTSD

I originally posted this last year and it seemed to help others facing similar circumstances, so with a few updates...here it is again…. The Fourth of July always was such a special day at our house. Shelly loves to entertain and she is so good at it. Each year we would host a fantastic party … Continue reading New Traditions for Getting Through the 4th of July With a TBI and PTSD

My Wife’s Mask for the Unmasking Brain Injury Project

March is brain injury awareness month. The goal this month is to make people more aware of the causes, symptoms and prevention of traumatic brain injuries. I recently read that over 3.5 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year. My wife Shelly just surpassed the 6-year anniversary of her injury. Her life has … Continue reading My Wife’s Mask for the Unmasking Brain Injury Project

Making New Traditions on the 4th of July with PTSD

The 4th of July always was such a special day at our house. Shelly loves to entertain and she is so good at it. Each year we would host a fantastic party with friends and family. It was a day that Shelly would look forward to like no other. She would do so much planning … Continue reading Making New Traditions on the 4th of July with PTSD

My Wife’s Inspiring Battle With Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD

  The five-year anniversary of my wife Shelly’s traumatic brain injury just passed last week. Her life, and our entire family’s life, was forever changed in a split second on that cold day in January of 2013. We had a freak accident happen within our home. A home-made bottle of ginger ale was taken from … Continue reading My Wife’s Inspiring Battle With Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD