Hello, Blog! I've missed you!

It seems that there is a need for more hours in the day. I just can't fit it all in. Unfortunately, the writing has taken a hit these days.

Here is a small review of recent events:

Starting next week, I will be taking on my new role as principal of The Dominion School. I was still tying up some loose ends with other projects but the gears are in motion. There is so much to be done but I am super excited.

The book events continue. I know that some people were frustrated by a delay in book delivery from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I think we have worked out the kinks in the warehouse distribution so if you have placed an order, it should arrive shortly. I am slowly but surely lining up book signings and appearances into the fall.

Me! At the Ashland Strawberry Faire!

A new reader buys a copy and enjoys
a beverage at the Starbucks signing.

The biggest news I heard today is that the book is now available on Nook and Kindle so ebook lovers can rejoice (and order!). There will be a version on iTunes shortly. We are awaiting approval.

Thank you to the many people who have sent me sweet notes or posted on my Facebook fan page about how much they have enjoyed the book. I really appreciate the positive feedback.

Did you see my interview on WTVR's Virginia This Morning? What a great experience!

I also was asked to guest host on the Hey! That's My Hummus podcast. We discussed grief and loss but there are lots of laughs as well. I have talked about Mike & Faiqa's podcast before and it was an honor to be a part of their eclectic show. It's available for free download on their website or in iTunes.

I have been doing some writing on other sites too. I interviewed Nicole Unice for her new book She's Got Issues at the Richmond Mom site.

I almost forgot to mention that CJSTUF action still goes on as well. We have been super busy with ComedySportz Richmond as the Biz of the Month for June. We are also working behind the scenes on the upcoming Art Auction for October. So much to do!

With that, I must close this blog post and run off to other projects. I promise that the writing on the blog will continue! Thank you for keeping up with me.

The Edge of Seventeen

It's that time of year when the blog musings center on my grief journey. Every year, it seems like we are busy with end-of-the-year school activities and the start of summer, planning vacations, and then (kablam)...it's almost July 9. Grief is funny. Grief is weird. I remember very early after Charlotte died, I watched the movie Rabbit Hole. There's an amazingly poignant scene where Nicole Kidman's character is talking with another woman who lost a child over 10 years before (played by Dianne Wiest). She talks about grief being like a brick in your pocket. It never goes away. Sometimes you can even forget it's there. But it comes back and makes its presence known from time to time. And (she says) "it's what you have of them." I probably did not fully realize then what a powerful and true analogy that is. As time goes on, our grief changes. Yet, it is always there on the edge of things. It sits in that pocket and sometimes makes itself known. This...

Bittersweet Sixteen

I think about Charlotte every single day. However, this time of year, I'm flooded with all kinds of memories as we commemorate the anniversary of her birth. This year feels like a bit of a milestone. Sixteen. If cancer had not taken her life back in 2010, I have a feeling I would be planning a massive birthday celebration this year. 16 always feels like a landmark year in someone's life. I have been thinking a great deal about the last birthday party we had for Charlotte in 2009. We didn't know it at the time, but we were halfway through her treatment journey. We had been through three major brain surgeries and a few rounds of inpatient chemotherapy. Treatments were not going well. In fact, right after her birthday, we would make the trip to Houston, Texas where we would settle in for about 10 weeks of proton beam radiation treatments and a new customized chemotherapy protocol. This was the unspoken "last chance option" to beat that aggressive brain tumor into ...

It's a (not quite) Jolly Holiday

I was sitting in a doctor's office waiting room a few weeks ago. While I waited, another patient came out into the reception area to make her next appointment. The receptionist offered a few dates, including one on a Saturday. The woman (I have no idea who she was; let's call her Maude) originally said yes to the Saturday date. Then the following conversation ensued: Maude: Wait! Is that Mother's Day weekend? Receptionist: Hmm. You know what? I'm not sure. When is Mother's Day? Maude: You don't know? Receptionist: (nervous laugh) Well, I guess I should know this.... Maude: Are you a mother? Receptionist: No. Maude: But...you have a mother, right? You should know these things! At this point, I was incensed with "Maude". This woman knew nothing about the receptionist. She could have recently lost a child. She could have been struggling with infertility. She could have had a mother who recently died. Or she could have a strained or just very compli...

I See What You Meme

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