Yesterday I unexpectedly found myself by a lone bench on an empty ocean front. A boat was just off the shore, solitary but securely anchored in the sea. I ached with the unexpected beauty, the symbolic solitude of the boat. I felt like this boat. Alone, but securely anchored. As I stood there, a scarf … Continue reading Death, Loss, and TCK Grief
A week ago my mom called with some sad news. Stefanous had died. I was so shocked. He was only 5 years older than I am. His youngest daughter was only just married two weeks ago. A flash flood of memories instantly floored me and I began to cry. For those of us who grew … Continue reading When No One Shares Your Grief
Three hours south of Cairo, in a small town rarely heard of until this past Sunday, families grieve. Thirteen of the men murdered by ISIS are from this town. Yousef Shoukry, aged 24 is one of those men. Like most of these men, Yousef needed a job and could not find one in Egypt, so … Continue reading A Mother’s Grief; A Father’s Pain
Grief—the Pesky Cat By Robynn It struck me this week that grief is like a pesky kitten, you never know when it will spring up on you and pounce. Several times this past week we’ve been bitten on the ankles. Several years ago when our cat, Canyon, was a kitten, he’d lay in wait for … Continue reading Grief the Pesky Cat
“Make sure you say goodbye” I text these words to my youngest son, followed by “It’s important to say your goodbyes.” He is only leaving for the summer, he will be back on the same campus next year. But it is critical to me to say this to him. I want my children to be able … Continue reading Honor the Grief, Honor the Goodbye
Grief Quotes by Robynn – Grief quotes: Even when grieving someone has to do the laundry… Hard to get it dry when the tears keep coming. Grief quotes: I’m a pretty smart person. .. how come i can’t figure out death? My father in law died suddenly in a freak farm accident early Saturday evening. He was out … Continue reading Grief Quotes During Holy Week
On the Friday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, a man was killed in a car accident in a tunnel in Boston. Reading the newspaper report caused pain of the sort that anonymous news sometimes brings. The “Why, Lord?” that stays only until I am distracted by the next sad news item. Finding out that the man … Continue reading Advent Reflection – Grief and Hope
Friends – One of our dear friends, Sami DiPasquale, and a former student from the Middle East Studies Program that my husband started many years ago, lives and works in El Paso. He loves the community deeply and recently wrote a beautiful and challenging post about the grief the community is experiencing. I am honored … Continue reading Thoughts from El Paso
Yesterday I cried all day. If I wasn’t crying visibly, I was crying internally. I cried for dreams found and then lost and plans redirected. I cried for all of us third culture kids and our wonderful, complicated, joy and grief filled lives. I cried for missed opportunities and wasted time. I cried because starting … Continue reading Waking to Hope
We get to the Athens Central station early but already it is filled with travelers. We look around at crowds of Greeks on their way to Thessaloniki or other stations along the way to celebrate Nativity. A train security man, zealous for our safety, periodically walks the yellow line along the platform, presumably shouting at … Continue reading On 35 Years of Marriage
We shake with joy, we shake with grief. What a time they have, these two housed as they are in the same body. Mary Oliver We arrived yesterday on a flight from Doha, Qatar. It was a long flight full of people and movies. We were greeted so well by our dear friends – friends … Continue reading On Soft Landings and Waiting
I’m surrounded by suitcases. Each of them are partially full, unfinished puzzles waiting for the right piece to go into the vacant spot. I look at my husband in awe. He does this so well. It’s not just about years of practice – if that was it I would be a master. It’s about the … Continue reading The Importance of Goodbyes
It is the time of graduations, moves, end of fiscal year budget crunching, and expatriate turnover. Sometimes moves are expected, and other times they come like a dust storm over the Sahara – with complete surprise leaving grit and dust in their wake. The grit and dust of grief and loss, of unexpected change. It’s … Continue reading God of Loss
Ask anyone about my father-in-law Richard Gardner and they will tell you that he was a quiet man, a listener who married a talker. He had simple tastes and led an uncomplicated life. On Saturday we gathered in beautiful rural Georgia to celebrate his life. My father-in-law died in November, the day after our grand … Continue reading Celebrating a Quiet Life
A long ago friend is killed miles away from his family. Notre Dame Cathedral burns, an icon in flames. A dear Kurdish friend’s sister dies. I sit at the funeral, silent and alone with my thoughts, a sea of women and children are quietly talking all around me. The mom’s tears are a window into … Continue reading The Danger of Forgetting
Longing. What is it? How would you describe this word? Not the dictionary definition, but your own heart definition? A couple of weeks ago I asked folks how they would define “longing” on the Communicating Across Boundaries Facebook page. Your responses did not disappoint. The thing that made them so significant to me is that … Continue reading On Longing
Eight years ago, my friend Mary gave me a giant mug as a hostess gift. She had come from Egypt to Boston for a conference and our apartment in Cambridge provided a perfect place and easy access to the conference. The mug was not just any mug – it was from the Starbucks country collection … Continue reading A Cracked Mug – Memories & Loss
We are in Athens, mere steps away from the Acropolis that sits high above the city inviting people of every tribe and nation to come and walk its ancient paths. It is the height of privilege to be here and I am deeply mindful of this. And though Athens has its magic that I could … Continue reading Betsy – An Extravagant Friend
