As we begin 2018, I have been reflecting on my individual and family goals as so many others do once a new year begins. This process has been also interesting for me to reflect back on my goals throughout this grief journey and how some of my goals have remained the same and some have…
Imagine a little girl that you know that is approximately five years old. Think of the innocence of that little girl. Are you able to picture her? When I was approximately the age of that little girl, then I was sexually abused by a teenage boy in our neighborhood. I went from a little girl…
MiKayla turns 18!! What an exciting milestone in her life! This milestone I have been able to thankfully celebrate with all three of my children, and I am ever thankful for each one. I found out that I was pregnant with MiKayla when I was just completing my master’s program in administration. She was set…
For the girls and I, our Christmas and New Year celebration begins when Kylee comes home for semester break from her university. Kylee has completed the first semester of her junior year in college and continues to work hard to meet her goals. The first weekend that Kylee was home then we did our annual…
As we are in the midst of our busy holiday season, I have been thinking a lot about the holidays and special days and how these times are for those who are grieving and in pain. Often during the holidays, this is a time in our culture where others recognize that this is a difficult…
As the girls and I celebrated Thanksgiving 2017, there are so many things that our hearts are so grateful for. We had the blessing of being surrounded in complete love and joy by my husband’s family as our annual Thanksgiving traditions continue. Our family begin arriving on the Sunday before Thanksgiving with Nana and one…
As parents, we know that one of our main responsibilities is to prepare our kids for independence. When they are first born, then our children depend on us to meet all of their needs. As they continue to grow then we teach them more and more skills of what they can learn to do independently.…
When the girls and I were at Gooseberry Falls in Northern Minnesota this past June, we were amazed at all of the trees along the hiking trails that had their roots exposed. These tree roots can be described as gnarled and laid bare. It was truly amazing to walk along the hiking path and to…
October started in such a horrific way for our country… either we went to sleep on Sunday night October 1st hearing of the horrendous shootings in Las Vegas or we woke up Monday morning to the news. When you think back to when you heard the news of what was happening then what were your…
Last Thursday, my parents made one of their annual treks from North Dakota to spend a week with us. My parents drive this journey several times a year and do their best to time it so that they can be a part of the girls special moments and cheer them on. My mom and dad…