She decided to commit suicide, and her family objected — When I saw my friend last week, she was visibly upset. Her 98-year-old aunt had decided to commit suicide. At first, I was shocked. But as my friend talked more about the situation, I couldn’t help thinking, “I don’t blame the woman for her decision.” The aunt had lived a…

How a military mom raises four children under eight after her husband dies suddenly and they are forced to move — Suddenly a widow In 1950 Melissa Mather and her husband Bob were living at Fort Monroe in Virginia with their four children in barely adequate housing. The oldest children were eight-year-old twin boys, one of whom would always have the mental abilities of an eighteen-month-old child. That would be Mike. Pat was his…

One accident turned Mia and her husband into strangers instantly — TW/CW: Mental Health Disorders, Suicidal Thoughts, Abuse It Only Takes a Few Seconds To Change a Family’s Life Forever A response review of Always Yours, Bee: From Accident to Affair to the Ever-After by Mia Hayes. Page numbers for all quotes come from this book. Mia Hayes believed that spouses who love each other stay faithful to each other. After her husband’s…

My experience with the 2003 San Simeon Earthquake — Timing Can Be the Difference between Life and Death At 11:10 in the morning I was about to meet a customer in my book warehouse at 11:30. It was only a short walk from the house. I had just come down from my office/bedroom upstairs. On my way out I stopped to talk to my husband beside the buffet…

Spring still brings flowers, babies, and a message of hope — “A baby is God’s opinion that life should go on” So said Carl Sandburg. In early April, my first grand-niece was born. She has given me a great opportunity to get to know my nephew’s wife better. Little Ellie motivates the family to have Zoom meetings. We live hundreds of miles apart and are fortunate if we can gather together…