Thirty three years ago today, my mom and dad were married. Ten months and eight days later I was born. I now have seven brothers and sisters…

One of the hardest questions I have to face is the now ubiquitous, “how are you doing?” or “how are you holding up?” It’s not hard because it’s the wrong question, or that I wish people would quit asking it — well, I mean I have heard it a lot and I’m ready for people to quit asking it, but I understand why it’s being asked. And yet it’s hard because the honest answer is, I don’t know how I’m holding up…

The day after the funeral, I was thinking about planting flowers at the grave for Mothers Day, and as soon as the phrase “mom’s grave” went through my mind, I was glad that I was alone in the house. For a while, I just sat on my bed and cried…