Over the years, the Bruce and Susan Matley household acquired many artifacts. Most of these came from family members, through death or downsizing. But one item remains unexplained to my satisfaction. It’s cute, it’s cuddly, it’s floppy. It’s the Matley Boys’ Bunny....

  It’s a big adjustment, being the only human in the household. Not only do I have 5 four-legged kids to attend to, but everything else, too. Like repairs, when things stop working the way they should. If it’s plumbing, I call a plumber. For other repairs, I’ve...

No matter how brave I am, how calm I am, how resolved I am to make the best of a difficult situation, things along my widow’s journey can jump out of the woodwork and bite me, hard- -things I can’t do yet.   The day I’m writing this blog, January 17, 2019, is one...

A human life carries with it a collection of artifacts- -tokens, mementos and, when time runs out, ashes.   By token, I choose the meaning of a symbol or emblem. Early in our relationship Bruce wistfully requested a token from me. Nothing fancy, he said, maybe...

It’s been an incredible journey, from wife to wife-caretaker to widow, all in such a short number of days. Many duties that arise at the end of life and after the death of a dearly loved one are difficult. Fire-hosed with information and responsibilities during home...

For the first time since I started this blog (this is #197), I missed the weekly posting not once, but twice. You might assume that I took a break for the holidays. Not so. I took a break to take care of Bruce.   Final Illness   Bruce Matley, my husband, the...