By Sherrie Cassel On this first day of the year, I pledge to honor my emotions as they arise, the good, the bad, and the infantile. Hey, it happens. On this first day of the year, I pledge to be like Michael J. Fox and Stephen Hawking, who, despite their challenges, continue to inspire. OnContinue reading “On this First Day of the Year”
Tag Archives: healing
Wrapping it up
By Sherrie Cassel 24 days from today, I will navigate the tenth anniversary of my son’s passing: it’s a biggie. I’m not making light of it, trust me; for some reason, this one hits harder than even the first two anniversaries. I believe I was numb for the first two years, and then … IContinue reading “Wrapping it up”
Emily Dickinson
by Sherrie Cassel The psychedelic lights undulate on my office ceiling. Springsteen is lightly playing his harmonica, and I am grateful…a sixty-three-year-old hippie wannabe. I wasn’t old enough to be truly aware of the bombs bursting in midair. What does it mean to “lose someone in the war” when you’re only five years old? I’veContinue reading “Emily Dickinson”
Patterns of Imperfection
By Sherrie Cassel Triggers that awaken fears, mourning, rage, despair can be anything, really. Tonight, I was looking through a kaleidoscope, watching the patterns transform into fragments of uniquely and perfectly placed shapes and colors. I could never draw a perfect circle (for me). Even with the protractor, the spot where the pencil marks meetContinue reading “Patterns of Imperfection”
A time to mourn and a time to dance …
By Sherrie Cassel I’ve wanted to know what’s on the bottom of the ocean floor for most of my life, you know, to plumb the depths of the unknown, like Jacques Costeau. Every single day I rise from our bed, wipe the sleep from my eyes, stretch, and greet the day, is another opportunity toContinue reading “A time to mourn and a time to dance …”
Lazarus and Reality
By Sherrie Cassel I’m in MX for a week and some change visiting my younger brother and his senior dog. He won’t let me lift a finger, so it truly is a vacation of being pampered. It’s nice. I don’t interview for the doctoral program until next month, so I’m reading everything I can getContinue reading “Lazarus and Reality”
Whatever Gets You through the Night
By Sherrie Cassel Joshua Tree, California I’m making corrections for the revision of my book. It’s a mess, reflective of where my head and heart were at the first writing – lots of typos, blank pages, alignment issues, over-exposure. I just wanted it out there in the world. Initially and in retrospect, I needed toContinue reading “Whatever Gets You through the Night”
How do you mend a broken heart?
By Sherrie Cassel Sometimes I make bonehead mistakes, not drastically bonehead (anymore, that is), but take for instance last night around 8:30 p.m. I pulled into Starbucks for a brown sugar, oat milk, shaken espresso. I actually knew I’d crash from the sugar then be up all night; it’s 4:30 a.m. I got up atContinue reading “How do you mend a broken heart?”
Rationalizing until the Cows Come Home
By Sherrie Cassel Dedicated to the Esperon Family The world would be silent, but “American Pie” is playing on my phone and I’m grateful for the noise. I’m listening as Don McLean sings about the spirit of my generation. I think about how Lennon read a book on Marx and how when someone is inContinue reading “Rationalizing until the Cows Come Home”
Busy is the Operative Word
By Sherrie Cassel I’m having a tough time today. Grief is unpredictable. I’ve been on the fast track for four years. I have leisure time I haven’t had in FOUR YEARS. I’ve been reading, visiting with cherished loved ones, writing, living, loving, laughing – and today, the world returns to my normal, another second, minute,Continue reading “Busy is the Operative Word”
Grief to Gratitude 