by bknaus | Sep 17, 2021 | Days of Awe, finding closure, Jewish New Year, making life decisions, planning for the new year, Rosh Hashanah, starting fresh, Uncategorized, writing practice, Yom Kippur
Whoa, whoa – wait a second. No excusing yourself to the powder room right now. Stay with me. I know you’re asking yourself why the hell, in the middle of long-awaited sweater weather, in the midst of post C-word revival, am I pushing this topic? Because Fall...
by bknaus | May 14, 2017 | a mother's gratitude, accepting loss, Children, finding closure, losing parents, making life decisions, Mother's Day, working parents
Each year, by the time I was 12, my Mother’s Day card went to this guy. This is how it was – communicating at eye level with a hand on my shoulder for support. Always. He took me for my first bra and purchased my lady supplies at the drug store. He bought...
by bknaus | Sep 4, 2015 | accepting loss, finding closure, losing a grandparent, Uncategorized
As is usual with these dysfunctional family things, I had unnecessary guilt. My maternal grandmother and I were very close. But when Bessie’s health was failing, I had two babies at home in Massachusetts. I couldn’t get to her in New York as often as I would have...
by bknaus | Feb 10, 2015 | finding closure, getting a tattoo, making life decisions, providence, Uncategorized
….. I just got. Don’t freak out, I thought about it for a long time, like two years. I found my chosen word written in my dad’s handwriting on a piece of paper holding a random spot in his AA blue book. The word was PROVADENCE. Yes, it was and is...
by bknaus | Mar 29, 2011 | accepting loss, finding closure, losing parents, Uncategorized
Why doesn’t anyone prepare us for the tragedy of losing our parents? I couldn’t believe that no one warned me about how difficult it would be. Now I know that no one can brace us for this life changing loss. Each person’s experience with losing a...
