by Susan | Nov 30, 2024 | Backyard Birds, Family, On My Mind
Thanksgiving dawned wet and dreary in Downeast Maine. It was a quiet day filled with baking and birdwatching from the sofa. This Thanksgiving was particularly poignant for me because it was also Mom’s birthday—the second one we’ve spent without her. She...
by Susan | Mar 17, 2024 | Family, On My Mind
One Year. Three hundred sixty-five days since the most challenging time of my life ended. Only to usher in a new ache. Watching Mom deteriorate so quickly from cancer, caring for her for weeks with hospice’s guidance. She left us before she took her last...
by Susan | Dec 24, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
This Christmas Eve, I find myself struggling to feel the Christmas spirit. I have the next week off from work (mostly). The tree is up and decorated with happy lights. We’ve delivered gifts to friends and family. Hannah and I have a loose plan for tasty treats...
by Susan | Oct 29, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
Mom loved hospital gift shops. Well, gift shops of any sort, but she said hospital gift shops carried unusual things. On the last day of Hannah’s February visit, the month before Mom passed, we made our rounds to not one but three different hospital gift shops....
by Susan | Sep 30, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
My mom often showed her love by sending surprises in the mail. Many times, the packages came from QVC. Leopard print slippers (I’m so not an animal print kind of girl), a pair of sandals, lavender plants, a Christmas centerpiece, garden lanterns, a kitchen tool,...
by Susan | Sep 9, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
I spent the last two+ weeks in Pennsylvania with my dad. A long To-do list awaited me, with the biggest item on the list finishing the remediation of his study. In July, the dehumidifier in his study malfunctioned, leaving carpet, wallboard, and bookcases waterlogged...
by Susan | Jul 26, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
Twenty-six years ago today, I married Paul. He didn’t need glasses back then. He couldn’t hold back the laughter and tears this morning as he gave me an anniversary. I have to post it here to hang onto this memory. Happy Anniversary, Paul!
by Susan | May 31, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
I’m learning that when a loved one dies, there’s a stage of needing to hold on to their belongings – as if having those items close somehow strengthens our connection to them. I am finding this true with my mom. There are keepsakes she wanted me to...
by Susan | May 17, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
Mom passed away two months ago, on March 17th. Today I received a gift from her – something ordered months ago before we knew cancer would rule the rest of her days. Shopping was mom’s favorite way to care for those she loved. Unexpected boxes would arrive...
by Susan | Apr 29, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
Mom became ill in November 2021. She put off seeing a doctor for a bit, and when she did, the doctor took a wait-and-see approach. By Christmas week 2021, she was in the hospital for fluids and tests. Seven hundred miles away here in Maine, it was hard to find our...
by Susan | Apr 3, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
We first understood that my mom was seriously ill on Christmas Eve, 2021. In 2022 she experienced two hospital stays – one very long after which they sent her home without hope. Two months later, in March, during one of my frequent visits to Pennsylvania, we took mom...
by Susan | Feb 27, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
My mom and dad. February 27th was their anniversary. Here’s what 63 years of marriage looks like. Keep scrolling. 😊
by Susan | Jul 26, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Twenty-five years.A quarter of a century.The best years of my life have been with this man.Thank you, Paul, for your love, your patience, the adventures, the quiet times, the crazy times, and a wonderful child who is more like you every day.I love you! Other...
by Susan | Jul 17, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Today we celebrate my dad’s 86th birthday. It’s been a rough year for my family, with mom in the hospital twice. I’ve made four trips to Pennsylvania so far to visit with mom and dad, and I’ve treasured every one of them. The older I get, the...
by Susan | Jul 1, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Our text with Hannah as Paul and I drove home from the Augusta VA.
by Susan | May 8, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Hannah arrived this morning with plans to spend the day doing whatever I wanted and cook dinner for me. She brought this beautiful bouquet. I think she was as excited to give it to me as I was to receive it. It was spectacular – created by our friend Christina...
by Susan | Feb 6, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
My paternal grandfather, John Reynolds Bender, attended Wittenberg University in the early 1930s. My mom attended in the late 1950s, and the tradition continued when I graduated from Wittenberg in 1986. This picture of grandpa is from the 1934 WU yearbook. John Bender...
by Susan | May 25, 2021 | Family, Hannah, On My Mind
Denison Graduation 2021 was a whirlwind of a week. We arrived home last night, and I woke this morning so tired that I could barely think straight. The adventure started last Wednesday with Gidget in tow. She’s very attached to us, and we were hesitant to put...
by Susan | Jul 26, 2020 | Family, On My Mind
This is a brave man. Twenty-three years ago, he married me; for better or worse. It hasn’t always been easy. But there’s nobody else I can imagine spending this life with. There are days he drives me bonkers, and I’m sure the likewise is true. Yet...
by Susan | Jul 17, 2020 | Family, On My Mind
There comes a point in gift-giving when it’s hard to think of the perfect birthday gift. That’s true for my dad this year. As I was “pondering” the dilemma this year, inspiration hit last Saturday at midnight. We’d recently recorded a...
