Sometimes Grief Just Sucks

The other day I went to Target to get some face moisturizer because I was running out. As I was walking through the store, I saw an older woman looking at a cute crop top in the girls’ section. She pulled it off the rack and held it up, examining it. I’m sure she was … Continue reading Sometimes Grief Just Sucks →

Alzheimer’s Will Break Your Heart In Ways You Never Thought Possible

When my mom was a teenager, she over-plucked her eyebrows and they never really grew back. For as long as I can remember, she would draw them on with an eyebrow pencil and they always looked flawless. As her Alzheimer’s progressed, she began to have trouble drawing on her eyebrows. Something she had done every … Continue reading Alzheimer’s Will Break Your Heart In Ways You Never Thought Possible →

Stop Wasting Precious Time Wishing You Could Go Back to the Way Things Were

I spent a lot of time during my mom’s illness just wishing things could go back to the way they were. I mainly focused on what I had lost and I just wanted my mom to go back to the way she was before she got sick. At some point, it hit me. “Oh wait, … Continue reading Stop Wasting Precious Time Wishing You Could Go Back to the Way Things Were →

This Journey Requires A Delicate Balance of Grief and Gratitude

You are losing your loved one right before your eyes and each day is a constant battle between grieving that loss and trying to cherish the time you have left with your loved one. I get it. I’ve been there. When people ask me how I dealt with the pain of slowly losing my mom, … Continue reading This Journey Requires A Delicate Balance of Grief and Gratitude →

Interview with Dr. Regina Koepp of the Caring for Aging Parents Show

I had the honor and privilege of being interviewed by Dr. Regina Koepp yesterday for the Caring for Aging Parents Show. In the interview, we talk about the road to my mom’s diagnosis, my struggle as a 25-year-old to accept her diagnosis, the importance of sharing your story, what I’ve learned over the last ten … Continue reading Interview with Dr. Regina Koepp of the Caring for Aging Parents Show →

Here’s to All the Heavy Hearts This Holiday Season

Here’s to all the heavy hearts this holiday season. The hearts that are breaking and bleeding. The hearts that are grieving the loss of the living or the deceased. The hearts that not only have an empty seat at the table, but an empty space within them, one that can never be filled. Here’s to … Continue reading Here’s to All the Heavy Hearts This Holiday Season →

To Both Love and Grieve Means to Live a Full Life

I’ve been thinking a lot about death lately. Death and grief and the impending doom of losing my mom. (Yeah, I know. I’m super fun these days.) I’ve also been thinking a lot about how much my mom’s Alzheimer’s has affected me; how much it has changed me. I often ask myself why my mom’s … Continue reading To Both Love and Grieve Means to Live a Full Life →

Someday You’re Going to Miss What Seems Hard Today

You’re going to miss this someday. Whatever you’re going through right now. Whatever your biggest challenge is. The thing that drives you absolutely crazy and frustrates you to your core. You’re going to miss it someday. It seems like just yesterday I was driving my mom to the hairdresser or out to go shopping. She … Continue reading Someday You’re Going to Miss What Seems Hard Today →

Mother’s Day for the Motherless

When I was about eight or nine years old, I saw a Mother’s Day ad for Boscov’s that claimed you could buy your mom a beautiful gold locket for just $0.99. Holy crap! Just $0.99?! I immediately decided that I wanted to get my mom that locket for Mother’s Day. I was so excited to … Continue reading Mother’s Day for the Motherless →

Here’s Why Losing a Loved One to Alzheimer’s Is so Hard

Do you ever stop to think about when was the last time your loved one did something? When was the last time you took your mom out to lunch or to go shopping? When was the last time your dad came over your house to fix something? When was the last time your wife cooked … Continue reading Here’s Why Losing a Loved One to Alzheimer’s Is so Hard →