The Fire

It’s March the 11th, 23 months since Jon’s passing. As the two year anniversary draws near, I have found myself tossed between a myriad of conflicting emotions. I have longed for the day when this grief would loosen its grip. I have wished I could fast forward to a time when the tears didn’t fall at the mere mention of his name. And at the same time, part of me would rather go back to those first days - a time when the sound of his voice still lingered in the air and the memory of his touch was as close as yesterday.   Immediately following April 11, 2017, every moment of life was counted by the number of hours and the number of days it had been since I last held my love.   Eventually, days turned to weeks, and then the weeks turn into months.   Finally, it became a year, then a year and a half, etc.   Up until the 2-year mark, it’s still acceptable to count time in terms of months, but after that, well…….   I’m just not sure I’m ready to count the years.   Counting th

You’re now the sole provider….so what’s the big deal? Ok - before I get started, allow me a couple of pre-qualifying statements:   1.   This is not a pity party.   This is not a “look at how hard we have it” thing.    2.   This is not a comparison.   I know plenty of guys who are single dads - and really good ones!   I know they have some of the same challenges and some different challenges and I am not minimizing those or dismissing them at all.   I just can’t really speak to them because…well, I’m a woman.    There you have it!   That being said, there’s a BIG and growing group of people in our midst whose needs are great and we don’t really know how to help them....women who are the sole providers in their homes.   We commonly call them “single moms,” which is sometimes accurate and sometimes not.   I don’t love this pairing of words though, because if I say “single mom” to you, it usually conjures up a universally analogous image.   You’re thinking a younger woman,