Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Sherrie Ann Cassel Grief changes a person; it has changed me in magnificent ways, with an awakening of how much I am capable of great big giant accomplishments. On the other hand, grief has rocked me to my very core, and along the way some things are still recovering from the devastation of losingContinue reading “On leave”

By Sherrie Ann Cassel   The weather is going to have us snowed in for the Thanksgiving Day. We were disappointed at first, but now, we’re planning a fun time with just the two of us and our cats (who will also get down on some tryptophan). We always have a contingency plan; life oftentimesContinue reading “Grief with Wings”

By Sherrie Ann Cassel For our tightly wound string of tangled lights Here we go again. This is the fourth Christmas without my son. Our grandson will grace us with his company this year in our wintry desert home. We’re expecting snow (in southern California) over the next couple of days. The snow doesn’t lastContinue reading “Dumpster Diving for Memories”

By Sherrie Ann Cassel I’m an over-preparer. I pack for every contingency. I’m practical that way. So, when my son died, I approached grief the way I approach everything – very pragmatically. I wanted so much to outrun grief and get to the finish line where life was magnificent again, as quickly as humanly possible.Continue reading “Rubies in the Rubble”

By Sherrie Ann Cassel I used to be chipper, nauseatingly positive, and I used to exude joy – even after a very difficult childhood. I am resilient. I have also just resigned myself to having lost my son, my precious only child, the love of my life. There are wrinkles around my eyes, and IContinue reading “When your child dies from addiction”

By Sherrie Ann Cassel My hair is blue. I am 57 years old, and my hair is blue. I also got a new tattoo. I got drunk with some friends a few months ago at a party. I hadn’t been to a party since Rikki died, a little over two months shy of the four-yearContinue reading “Searching for Home”

By Sherrie Ann Cassel I’m still digging parts of myself out from underneath the rubble of my former life, the life before Rikki’s death. Some days are better than others, and I’ve had a semi-nice run for a few days; however, like all of you, there’s a heaviness I know and have accepted, will clingContinue reading “Beyond Grief”

By Sherrie Ann Cassel Apropos of nothing — winds blow in the Joshua Tree area – no rhyme, no reason, no Santa Anas, just gusts of varying strengths, soft and gentle – and then forceful and fierce. Today the windchimes sound like an incessant phone ringing, like a teenage prank call, a ring and noContinue reading “Gusts”

He’s the first thought of every morning – and the last thing I think about before I go to bed. I gave birth to him. He was and is indelibly a part of me. Our blood, our very life’s essence, flows through us … all the way to our spirits – commingling, dancing in thatContinue reading “Raking leaves: An Irritation as Progress”