A joyful heart
When I sit down to write something grief related, I occasionally feel a twinge of worry. I’m concerned that by continuing to document my...
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- Jun 22
- 2 min
Yes, I want a Fanta (Fanta). *tears*
It's no secret that I write a lot about grief — it's been a significant part of my life. Today, I'm writing about a different kind of...
- Jun 16
- 2 min
Circle back around
This beautiful ring used to adorn my husband's hand, but now it’s in the bottom drawer of my bedside table. When Ramón was going into the...
- Jun 1
- 2 min
No caveat(s) needed
Today, as I sat on a bench in the backyard, I was overcome with gratitude. I admired a happy Noodle, a beautiful sky, plants in bloom,...
- May 24
- 4 min
Surreal
Over the past three years, I've sat down to write many posts that seemed surreal — events that felt as though they were taking place on...
![My [current] best](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/031aef_622c98f967dd486ab1328b888c59c679~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_333,h_250,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/031aef_622c98f967dd486ab1328b888c59c679~mv2.jpg)
- May 13
- 3 min
My [current] best
I went to a spin class two weeks ago. It was hard. I used to go regularly, but that was more than a decade ago. On top of that, I was...
- Mar 8
- 3 min
May I demand a favor?
My word of the day is “fearless.” I don’t normally have a word of the day, so take that for what it’s worth. Before I put out feelers for...
- Feb 28
- 3 min
A-O-K
Several days ago, I hopped in my car to head to an appointment, and my Pandora app automatically connected to the car’s audio. I fumbled...
- Jan 7
- 3 min
A smidgen
As I sat down to write this post, I thought I’d start by saying, "I woke up to a text from Ramón’s brother-in-law, Steve." Then I...
- Nov 11, 2021
- 1 min
What were you wearing when ... ?
As I put on a hoodie this morning, I remembered it was the sweatshirt I was wearing when Ramón was diagnosed with leukemia. I didn’t...
- Oct 19, 2021
- 3 min
Ask and ye will have asked
Today marks 18 months since Ramón’s cardiac arrest. For once, that length of time aligns with how long it feels like it’s been....
- Jul 20, 2021
- 2 min
Rewriting the story
After Ramón’s death a year ago, I set a goal to build my endurance until I could run for 60 minutes without stopping. I can’t recall why...
- Jun 3, 2021
- 1 min
Open doors
One day last June while I was staying in the hospital with Ramón, I decided to watch the video of his swearing in ceremony. Since he was...
- Jun 6, 2020
- 1 min
Day +57: Breathtaking sunset
Saturday into Sunday has become my toughest time of the week. It makes me reflect on "the night" when Ramón was feeling indescribably...
- Apr 18, 2020
- 5 min
Days +5 to +8
Day +5: Window of opportunity April 15, 2020 It’s been a while since I’ve said this, but we had a good day! Though we’ve had glimpses...
- Feb 10, 2020
- 2 min
Taking it in stride
Yesterday Ramón completed a half-marathon that he’s been training for since his counts recovered following his last round of chemo....
- Nov 7, 2019
- 2 min
Some mumbo for your jumbo
First, I want to proactively acknowledge that this post might be a little bit out there, but guess who doesn’t care? Me! I read something...
- Oct 19, 2019
- 2 min
Live oak
I recently borrowed a memoir from the local library. It caught my eye instantly because it was called Marrow, a word that entered our...
- Sep 29, 2019
- 2 min
A tribute to Grocery Bag Lady
When we moved to our current neighborhood, we slowly got a feel for our surroundings. A certain neighbor sits on his front steps every...
- Sep 10, 2019
- 1 min
Yellow door
Earlier this year, we decided to paint the laundry room door a bright and cheerful yellow. Like most household projects, it ended up...
My name is Drew Dotson, and my life has been anything but perfect, yet it's still perfectly beautiful. After growing up with a genetic disease, cystic fibrosis, I was blessed to meet an amazing man who loved me without bounds. Then he died.